Touch Of A Healer
by adromir
Summary: -COMPLETE!-Prequel to the Manyan Series - This was the time when Legolas was still a manyan, an innocent, and the youngest prince. Need I say more?
1. Default Chapter

**Synopsis : Prequel to the Manyan Series. This was the time when Legolas was still a ****_manyan_****, an innocent, and the youngest prince. Need I say more?**

**Hi, everyone! I'm back! I know, I know, I'm late! Sorry for that. My life is like a roller coaster nowadays. Anyway, are you guys ready for more creation of a crazy girl like me? I know I promised you fics of Legolas in LOTR time period, about the fellowship, Gollum, Kash and Dash yadda yadda yadda. But due to a lot of requests for a prequel to the series, I come out with this one. Yes, guys. That means Keldarion will be in it. I know you miss him, so read on.**

_2,500 years before the War of The Ring…._

It was a warm starry night. The Mirkwood realm was as magnificent as it could be now that spring had returned once more. The trees could be heard whispering in the breeze. Crickets were heard singing their happy and joyous songs, celebrating the arrival of the beautiful season. 

King Thranduil was holding a ball for his people in the grand hall, and what a great event it was! All his people had turned up, filling the big hall to its full capacity. They mingled together and danced the night away after attending the big feast earlier. Always a courteous host, Thranduil joined the Mirkwood elves in the celebration, walking among his people and graciously asked about their well-being.

Upstairs in the palace, where the royal chambers were situated, Keldarion, the crown prince sat beside his younger brother on the bed. He lovingly brushed the golden locks off the younger elf's face. 

Legolas was already asleep, clutching a stuffed animal to his chest, a thumb stuck in his mouth. The elfling must be exhausted after the incredibly active day he had; climbing the tall bookcase in the king's study and nearly caused his father apoplexy, playing hide and seek with his brother in the garden before climbing (again!) the trellis that supported the wisteria bushes, sliding down the stairs banister in the receiving hall and crashed against the monstrous vase that was a gift received from Rivendell (thank the Valar he escaped serious injury!), got trapped with a mad stallion in a box in the stable before Commander Linden grabbed him to safety, then chasing a big wild goose before the bloody animal turned around and came after him! 

The youngest Mirkwood prince was such a wild child that he needed to be watched all the time lest he loose his life at such young age!

Keldarion smiled as he recalled all the happenings during the day. _Wild child? Crazy little devil is more like it!_ _This one has no fear for danger! He bent down and kissed his brother's forehead. Keldarion had promised the king that he would join the celebration after he had tucked Legolas in for the night. Now that his brother had succumbed to dream world, the prince got off the bed and turned towards the door…and went tumbling to the floor when his feet slipped on the toy building blocks that Legolas left scattered around the chamber._

"Aaaa…!!!" Keldarion fell down hard, hitting his head against the ornate bed frame. For a full minute, he saw stars as he lay there on the floor, dazed. He didn't know for how long he was in that state, with blood dripping off the wound on his temple. The next thing he knew, he was staring into Legolas's angelic face.

Legolas must have been awakened by his brother's cry of surprise. The poor elfling had tears in his eyes, gazing down at Keldarion in pure terror. "Don't die…" he pleaded, holding on to his brother's hand desperately.

Keldarion blinked before he slowly sat up, wincing all the way. "I'm not dying, Legolas," he softly said. 

But Legolas was not convinced. "Your head's bleeding."

Touching the deep cut, Keldarion could not stop himself from moaning. _Ai! It is painful! "Don't worry, little one. This is just a scratch," he muttered, trying to sooth his brother even though the wound still bled profusely._

"Let me see." Legolas stood up to his full height and stared at the bleeding cut intently. Without a word, he placed his hand on it; an expression of pure concentration overtook his young features.

Keldarion flinched slightly at his brother's touch, wondering what Legolas was up to. Then a miracle happened. The pain seemed to diminish under Legolas's fingertips, before it vanished altogether. A wonderful tingling sensation began to settle there instead. Sighing in pleasure, Keldarion did not fully understood what was really happening. But then, Legolas started to sway on his feet and nearly slumped to the floor but the crown prince managed to catch him just in time. 

"Legolas!" Keldarion looked down at his brother's pale face anxiously. Legolas looked even more exhausted than before. "Legolas?"

The elfling whimpered. His eyes started to glaze over. "Kel…? Don't feel…good. Tired…"

Keldarion panicked. _What's wrong with him? Why did he become weak all of a sudden? He also realized that his pain was now gone and the cut had already closed up, completely healed. _

Then Keldarion knew. 

Legolas was a _manyan! His baby brother was a healer, just like their late mother! _Ai Elbereth! He's a healer!__

Before her death, Queen Marwana was the royal healer of the woodland realm. A Silvan elf of noble blood, she had been born a _manyan_ like her mother and grandmother before her. The line of the _manyans had started as far back as the beginning of Middle Earth. The powerful ability of healing had been passed on from generation to generation for thousands of years. But only one person inherited it at a time, no more. Now it seemed that the gift had been passed on to Legolas, Marwana's last child, the one that she died giving birth to._

Keldarion stared at his brother in wonder. "How did you know to do that?"

Legolas snuggled closer against Keldarion's chest. "I'm tired. I want sleep," he mumbled then he drifted off to dreamland. Cradling the slumbering elfling in his arms, Keldarion stood up and rushed out of the chamber.

Thranduil was deep in conversation with the commander of his army, Linden, when Keldarion came running into the hall. "Father!"

The king instantly looked up. His heart skipped a beat as his eyes rested on the elfling in Keldarion's arms. He moved forward and took Legolas from the prince's hold. "Kel? What's wrong? Has Legolas hurt himself?" 

Keldarion shook his head, oblivious to the stare they were receiving from the guests. "No. It was not Legolas that got hurt, but I! And he healed me!"

Thranduil's eyes widened while the others gasped when they heard Keldarion's statement. Showing the trace of blood on his temple, Keldarion began to relate everything that had happened in the chamber. Everyone was silent as they listened intently to the young crown prince, growing more amazed by the minute. Mostly, a _manyan started to receive their gift when they reached the age of puberty. But at the age of 300 years old, Legolas was only a child!_

Adjusting the sleeping prince in his arms, the king swiped Legolas's hair off the back of his neck…and stared. There it was, the slight and tiny bulge at Legolas's alabaster skin, where the healing stone of _Manya_ would be…just like Queen Marwana before him.

The king of Mirkwood was definitely speechless. He looked up to see Keldarion gazing back at him with the same stunned expression on his face. "He's a _manyan, right father? Legolas is just like mother."_

Thranduil nodded weakly. _My baby, a __manyan? _Ai Elbereth! Help us!_  He turned to the people of Mirkwood who had been staring in awe at them the whole time. "Behold!" he announced, effortlessly lifting his sleeping child for everyone to see. "A new __manyan is born!"_

The announcement was received by a loud cheer and applause. The Mirkwood people were incredibly happy to know that Queen Marwana's successor as the royal healer had finally risen…and at such an early time. Thranduil then lowered his son and kept staring at Legolas's serene face in mixed emotions; wonder, joy, anxiety…fear…

_He is too young to be a manyan. The king shook his head, still in disbelief.__ Valar! He's just a baby!_

"Father?"

Thranduil turned towards his elder son. "Yes, Kel?"

"I will protect him," Keldarion vowed. He could read his father's feelings very clearly. He knew the great fear that was tearing Thranduil inside. Being a _manyan at such a young age would make Legolas incredibly vulnerable to pain and misery, injuries and illnesses, minds and emotions. Legolas needed to learn to control his ability quickly before it claimed him instead._

"I will protect him," Keldarion repeated, "With my life. I will guide him so he would not be consumed by his ability, and I will stop anyone who dares to manipulate him. I swear."

Thanduil gazed proudly at his firstborn. Keldarion was 1,300 years of age, only an adolescent but already wise beyond his years. Legolas mumbled incoherently in his sleep as Thranduil relinquished him back into Keldarion's young yet strong arms. Then he kissed the crown prince's forehead. "I know you will, my son."

"So will I, my lord," Commander Linden voiced out. This was followed by other Mirkwood warriors, and then all the people itself. 

Meanwhile, the trees outside sang much louder and happier. They had good reason to rejoice.

The new _manyan had risen._

Many, many years later… TBC… 

**Do you like it? If you do, then that's good. If you don't like it, I'll put a stop to it and carry on with the LOTR one.**


	2. 2

**Thank you guys for that 'Welcome Back' party!!! Love you all! I'm glad to know that you like this one, so I proceed!!**

@caz baz : Yes, I'm the Queen of Cliffhangers! Ha! Ha! Ha! You're invited to my coronation ceremony tomorrow! Err…maybe next week. Or maybe next month. How about next year?

Many, many years later… 

It was still early dawn.

The three figures crept silently into the chamber, careful not to make any sound that would alert anyone else in the palace. After closing the door firmly behind them, they moved stealthily towards the big bed where a certain golden haired elven prince was deeply asleep. On a signal, the three of them simultaneously pounced upon the sleeping elf, grabbing his arms and legs.

Legolas instantly snapped awake. "Wha…?" A hand was cupped over his mouth before he even managed to cry out. He struggled for release but the hands that held him were strong and secure. Amid his muffled yells and curses, they carried him out of the chamber, through the hallway, down the stairs, out the great door and across the lawn, directly towards the garden.

Halting at the garden pond, Legolas's abductors grinned at one another before they threw him in, right into the water. Legolas landed in a big splash, screaming in outrage. 

"Happy Birthday, Legolas!!!!!!!!!!!" his 'abductors' cried out. 

Sputtering and swearing in blue streak, Legolas glared at the three elves that were laughing hysterically at him. "You call this _happy_?" he fumed as he sat in the pond, submerged to his chest and soaked to the skin. 

Keldarion and their friends, the twins from Rivendell, kept on laughing. "Yes, _we sure are!!"_

Legolas scowled. Reaching the age of 2,000 years old could be such a real pain. This was even worst than his 1,000th birthday when they had woken him up in the middle of the night and sang to him funny and bawdy songs. At the top of their lungs! It had brought the whole Thranduil's household into his chamber, leaving him sluggish and disoriented while praying that his ears would stop ringing from the din. 

"Aw, come on, Legolas. Don't be mad. We just want to make your 2,000th birthday a memorable one!" Elrohir said, grinning from ear to ear. Chuckling, Keldarion reached down and helped his brother out of the pond. "Let's get you dry up before you turn into ice."

Still scowling, Legolas let them pulled him to his feet. "You know what? I believe I also want this day to be memorable."

Elladan raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? So you are not angry that we dumped you into the pond just now?"

Keldarion frowned, slightly uneasy when Legolas suddenly smiled wickedly, saying, "Why would I be? I know you will not be angry when I do _this_!!!" Without warning, the younger prince hauled himself back into the pond, dragging the other three elves along with him.

"Aieee!!!!!!" The four of them hit the water with a loud splash, creating a huge tidal wave in the process. While Keldarion and the twins sputtered and muttered indignantly, Legolas laughed uproariously. "Now _that's_ what I call a _very_ Happy Birthday!!"

Elladan and Elrohir grumbled in dissatisfaction, looking down at their wet clothes in disdain. "I can't believe our plan backfired!!" said Elrohir.

Keldarion wrung the water out of his sodden raven hair, glaring at his brother all the while. "You just have to retaliate on the spot, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah." Legolas was on his back in the water, smiling widely with his eyes closed. His ears began to catch the wonderful sound of the early morning; the singing of the birds, the chirping of the squirrels, the sighing of the breeze, the…

"What in Mordor is going on here?!!!!!" came a loud booming voice all of a sudden. Legolas's eyes flew open. He gulped when he saw the Mirkwood king glowering down at them.

"Have you no sense? What are the four of you doing in the pond, of all places, at the wee hours of the day?!!!" Thranduil demanded to know, his fists rested upon his hips. He had just been awakened by the boys' exuberant laughter. After hastily pulling on his gold-trimmed robe, Thranduil had gone to investigate. Finding the source was not difficult; he only had to follow their loud voices. _Heck! They could have woken up the dead just now!_

Still sitting in the pond, the younger elves looked at one another sheepishly. Keldarion took the liberty to answer, "Err…celebrating Legolas's birthday?" Then the crown prince cringed inwardly when the expression on his father's face grew even darker.

"_Celebrating?" The king's voice was low and even. "By fooling around in the pond like a band of crazy ducks?!"_

The youngsters winced, as Thranduil's voice got louder with every word. The king stared hard at his youngest child. "What do you say to this, Legolas?"

"_Me?!" Legolas eyes widened. "_They_ started it! They kidnapped me from my room and threw me in here!"_

"Yeah, and you dragged us along with you back in!" Elrohir pointed out.

"Serves you right!" Legolas retorted.

"Silence!!!" Thranduil yelled, causing the younger elves to jump in fright. The king reached down and grabbed Legolas's right ear. "You are coming with me."

"Ow!! Father!" Legolas whined as he was dragged away. "It's not my fault! They abducted me!!" But the Mirkwood king ignored his son's plea as he led the way back into the palace. 

Keldarion and the twins stared at one another guiltily. "Err…have we gone too far?" Keldarion asked as regret began to climb up his conscience. 

Elladan and Elrohir lowered their heads abashedly. "What do you think your father will do to him?" Elladan asked. Without answering, Keldarion scrambled out of the pond and headed hurriedly towards the palace, with the twins following in his wake.

Upon entering the foyer, they found Thranduil and Legolas standing near the stairs. Keldarion immediately spoke, "Father! It's not Legolas's fault! We dragged him out of his chamber while he was still asleep and we dumped him in the pool and…" Keldarion's voice trailed off when he saw the big goofy grin on his brother's face. The king's warm robe was draped around Legolas's drenched form. And Thranduil was smiling! 

The king raised his eyebrows at the three companions. "Yes, I know."

"You _do?" Keldarion and the twins began to feel extremely uneasy. _

"Of course. I believed Legolas the first time he told me about it. I just want the three of you to admit to your crime."

Keldarion and the twins groaned. _We have been tricked! Why, the sneaky Mirkwood king!!_

"Well…err…" Squirming and fidgeting, the three 'criminals' glared at Legolas as the younger elf laughed like an idiot. They snapped back to attention when Thranduil began to speak again, "Abduction is a crime, and for that, the three of you must be punished."

Legolas laughed harder.

Thranduil put up a hand when the three young elves opened their mouths to speak. "I'm not finished." Then he grinned. "As your punishment, I want you to…" After pausing a beat for effect, the king continued, "…serve the table at tonight's grand feast!"

"What?!!!!!!" Keldarion and the twins exclaimed in horror.

By now, Legolas had already sat down hard on the bottom stairs, totally hysterical in his mirth. Clutching his stomach, he rasped between laughs, "Serve the table? That's a good one, father! _Ai!_ A very, _very Happy Birthday indeed!!"_

Scowling at his brother, Keldarion muttered, "Father, you're spoiling him."

"He deserves it. After all, it's his birthday." Thranduil helped the still laughing Legolas to his feet. "Come along, my son. Let's get you change into your fineries…and leave them under the mercy of the servants!"

Thranduil led Legolas upstairs amid the other youngsters' grumbles and muffled curses. He smiled even wider as he kept hearing Legolas's joyful laughter. As he pushed open the door to Legolas's chamber, the king voiced out, "You like that, don't you?"

"Oh, yes!" Chuckling, the prince wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes. "Thank you, father. That's the best birthday gift, ever!"

Thranduil clasped Legolas's shoulders and stared directly into his son's twinkling silver eyes. "And you are one of the most precious things in my life, Legolas. To see you so happy also makes me happy…even when you're being such a pain in my behind!"

Legolas blushed. "Aw, come on, father! Don't start that mushy-mushy stuff  with me,"

Thranduil laughed out loud then. As Legolas changed into dry clothes, the king subconsciously tidied up the room; collecting the scattered pillows from the floor, picking a stray tunic off the chandelier above (how it got there, he had no idea!), pulling upright the overturned chair, and rearranging the overflowing bowl of pot-pouri. "Good Lord, Legolas! What have you been doing in here? Fight with a wild boar?!"

Legolas only grinned innocently. The king shook his head, slightly exasperated. His two sons were the exact opposites of each other, like night and day. Keldarion's chamber was always immaculate, contra to Legolas's cluttered one. The elder prince always dressed elegantly, while Legolas favored his simple tunics and leggings. They didn't even have the same resemblance. Raven-haired Keldarion had the deepest cobalt blue eyes and the most handsome features. Legolas, the golden-haired prince, was incredibly beautiful and had a pair of mischievous silver eyes that bound to darken to stormy gray when he was angry…or when he was up to something. 

Legolas was _always up to something. And he would eventually end up in trouble. Sometimes, Thranduil would wonder if they had mistakenly given '_Trouble_' as Legolas's middle name because it seemed to follow him anywhere. Since he was a child, the prince had been so active and energetic that the others had problems keeping up with him. Only Keldarion (and sometimes the Rivendell twins that visited Mirkwood frequently) managed to stay abreast with the powerful __manyan. _

There was one time when Legolas had gone missing for a full week. The realm went into terrible chaos searching for him high and low. At 500 years old, still an elfling but with a pair of very fast feet, Legolas could be anywhere by then. But one of the guards finally recalled seeing Legolas healed an injured mouse before chasing the creature afterwards, heading straight towards the dungeon. And they had indeed found him in there; lying half conscious on the ground, weak with hunger and trembling in fear. The child had lost his way in the confusing maze of tunnels. He never went down there ever since. 

Several months after that, he had broken both his legs after jumping off the palace roof. He thought he could fly like the birds in the sky. These events had pushed Thranduil to give out orders that his youngest son must be watched at all time before the prince killed himself growing up!

Being a _manyan had also caused Legolas to land in deep trouble. Once, while he was healing a stallion that had gotten injured by an arrow, the prince had been kicked viciously in his side. He had broken his ribs that day, nearly puncturing his lungs. He had been scratched on the face by a panicked messenger eagle while he was healing its broken wing, nearly hitting his eyes and blinding him. There was also the time when Legolas had to heal nine gravely wounded Mirkwood warriors that had been attacked by orcs. He had healed them all in one night, nearly killing himself in the process when he had forced too much energy out of his being, draining him in spirit and body. It took him a week to recover, worrying everyone else senseless._

Legolas had been more careful in using his ability after that, guided by the ever-protective Keldarion. He began to know his limit and was aware of the consequences of his amazing gift. Everyday was a learning process to him, and a great anxiety to his family. A faithful savior to the injured animals and his fellow elves, Legolas had the biggest heart in Middle Earth, but also the most hardheaded prince ever known! He was so stubborn that he constantly drove his father crazy! 

_Ai! He'll be the death of me, if not his own! Thranduil thought as he gazed down at his son who was sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on his boots made of soft fine leather. There will be a grand feast tonight to celebrate the prince's 2,000th birthday. To the king, it was deeply bittersweet because that day also marked the 2,000th anniversary of Queen Marwana's death. But life goes on, and Legolas was highly cherished by the people of Mirkwood. The first day of October will always be known as Legolas's day despite of the tragedy during his birth._

Thranduil reached down and placed his hand on top of Legolas's golden head. The prince looked up, smiling back at his father. No words were exchanged between them, as they fully understood each other's feeling.

Outside in the palace courtyard, tables and chairs were already being arranged for that evening's joyous gathering…

TBC… 


	3. 3

**He! He! He! Something bad will definitely happen but not at the party! I deliberately put 1st of October as Legolas's birthday because – guess what?! – it's my birthday too!!! So nothing terrible should happen that day! **

@Moonbolt : Sorry. No ferrets in this one. Foolish and Idiot were still not born yet. But Legolas always got involved with one animal after another! LOL! 

**@Zoya : Betul tu! Memang bagus! (That's correct! It's good!) I'm in seventh heaven now that Kimi Raikkonen is leading the world championship! Yay!!!!!**

"Hey, Kel! You awake?" Legolas whispered excitedly as he crouched by his brother's bed.

Keldarion groaned, pulling the quilt over his head. "I am _now_. What do you want, brat?"

"Remember the tavern that those twins told us about? The one that they had gone to for a couple pints of beers?" 

"Yeah. So?" Keldarion mumbled disinterestedly from under the quilt, wishing his brother would go away and leave him in peace. He was still a little tired and his arms felt slightly sore after carrying all those trays of food all night. He had to respect the servants for that. The prince never thought that carrying heavy trays was as tiring as wielding a battle sword!

The servants had been incredibly stunned (and quite delighted actually) to have three noble elves helping them serving the tables. Elladan and Elrohir had grumbled all the while, scowling at Legolas who could not stop grinning the whole time. They were promising retribution against the 'Birthday Boy' when _he visited Rivendell next._

"Sauron's blood, you moron! Stop bouncing the bed!" Keldarion cursed when Legolas suddenly jumped onto the bed beside him, bouncing everything in the process. Legolas only grinned as his brother jerked upright from under the quilt and glared at him. "All right, all right! I'm totally awake now! What about the tavern?"

"How about you guys take me there? I've never tasted beer before," Legolas said enthusiastically.

Keldarion went still, staring back at his brother in disbelief. "What?"

"Take me to the tavern…"

"I know, I know! I heard you the first time! But why do you want to go there?"

"Err…for the beer?"

Keldarion sighed. "Legolas, I don't think you can handle it. It's even more potent than our wine."

Legolas crossed his arms over his chest, lifted his chin stubbornly, and glared down at his brother. "_I_ can't handle it, but you and the twins _can_?"

The elder elf sighed again, much heavier than before. "Well, we are a lot older than you. We are more experienced."

Legolas snorted and got off the bed. "Yeah, right. So you aren't coming with me?"

"No. So go back to your room and…Wait, coming with you? What do you mean, _coming with you? Hey, come back here!" Keldarion jumped up and chased after Legolas who was heading directly for the balcony. "What do you think you're doing? Sneaking out in the middle of the night?"_

"Yeah. So?" 

"Father would not be happy if he finds out!"

"Then don't let him find out. So, are you coming? It makes no difference anyway. I'm still going, with or without you."

"I won't let you," Keldarion said firmly. They rarely let Legolas go out of the palace alone. Let him go to the human tavern all by himself? That was absolutely preposterous!

"Really? What will you do to stop me?"

"How about I knock you on the head?"

"Try it," Legolas challenged back in full confidence, smirking. He stood tall, unflinching, as they stared at each other, eye to eye. 

Keldarion realized then that his brother was fully dressed and fully armed with bow and arrows, already prepared to leave on his excursion. _And he is not backing down even one inch! Ai! Why do I got this stubborn creature as my little brother?! _The crown prince finally growled in frustration, pulling at his hair. "Fine! I'll come with you!"

Legolas grinned. "I know you would." 

Muttering unintelligibly under his breath, Keldarion began to get dress. After strapping his bow to his back, he said, "Let's get the twins."

The twins were not very happy to be woken up from their deep slumber.

"I'm tired," Elrohir whined as the four companions made their way to the stable to get their horses. "Can't we just do this tomorrow? I want to sleep."

"You are such a baby, Ro!" Legolas laughed.

"Why does he _always get what he wants?" Elladan complained, gesturing at the smiling younger prince._

"Because we always _give him what he wants!" Keldarion retorted in response._

After leaving a message for the king to the guard on duty, the small troop rode towards Bree, the town of men that was situated over a hundred leagues away.

**********************

"You know, father will kill us when we get home," said Keldarion to his brother as they rode side by side at the deserted path.

Legolas chuckled. "He'll kill you first. When he goes for me next, I'll be many thousands leagues away!"

Keldarion and the twins rolled their eyes in exasperation. Legolas was in such a good mood that night. They had been riding for three hours now but their young charge was not showing any sign of fatigue at all. It was already past midnight and the three of them began to wish they never left their bed. 

"The tavern might have already closed down when we get there, Legolas," Elrohir said next. 

But it did not deter Legolas from his aim. The prince just glanced at his friend and grinned happily. "Then we will wait until it's open!" He laughed out loud when he heard them sigh and groan. He loved it when he got the three of them wrapped around his finger!

He stopped laughing suddenly when his keen sense caught a presence, followed by the sound of a horse neighing in pain. "Do you hear that? It comes from around the bend up front."

Keldarion nodded. "Yes. I sense a human with a horse."

Legolas was already moving forward. "Let's check it out."

The other elves urged their mount after him, preparing their bows with an arrow for any harmful surprises. Then they found out that it was not necessary. Lying on its side in the middle of the road was a beautiful looking black gelding, with a boy pinned under its body. The boy was half conscious and moaning in agony. Several feet away, there was a dangerous looking hole in the ground that might have caused the horse to stumble and fall.

Legolas had already dismounted. He knelt down beside the two figures lying on the ground, crooning to the horse all the while. "Oh, poor you. It's all right. I'm not going to harm you. You'll be fine."

"H…help me…" the injured boy pleaded, looking up at Legolas with pain filled eyes. Then his eyes widened even more as he realized who Legolas was. "You're…an elf!"

Keldarion and the twins also dismounted and came near. "Yes. And so are we."

The boy was terrified. "Please…don't kill me."

Legolas frowned. "Why would we kill you? We just want to help."

"Oh." The boy looked relieved, but cringed in pain suddenly. 

"What's your name? What happened?" Keldarion asked as they assessed the situation on how to lift the injured animal off the human.

"I'm called Hamil. I was riding the gelding back to my master…after taking it out for an exercise ride yesterday evening. I was going too fast and didn't see the hole…and he tripped. We've been lying here ever since," Hamil related in a weak voice.

"We cannot move the horse. Its front legs are badly broken," Legolas said softly as he ran his hands down the horse's limbs. He looked up and met his brother's eyes. "We can only move him after he is healed."

Keldarion glanced uneasily at the boy who looked back at them in puzzle. Legolas never used his ability in front of a human before. This will be the first time. "Are you sure, brother?"

Legolas nodded. He understood his brother's concern. But no way would he leave the horse and the boy in pain like this. "Yes. Hold him still while I take care of his legs."

Placing both his palms on the injury, Legolas concentrated his inner energy and healing spirit to his fingertips. The gelding jerked several times in surprise at the strange sensation, but calmed down under the other three elves' comforting grasp. After a full minute, the horse began to rise, slowly at first. Then it found firm footing and started to walk several steps away, completely healed.

Smiling at the horse, Legolas then turned to Hamil who was staring back at him in awe. "Now, where do you hurt?"

Hamil took some time to speak, so amazed he was. "M…my…my ribs a…and my shoulder, m…my lord."

Legolas wasted no time and continued his ministrations, very aware of the boy's stare. After he'd finished, the prince stood up and helped the boy to his feet. There was a mixture of feelings on Hamil's face; disbelief, wonder, and a little fear. 

"Thank you…my lord. You are so kind," Hamil said. He could still remember the wonderful sensation that ran through his body when the elf touched his injuries. Never had he felt anything like it. "You're a healer, aren't you? How may I pay you?"

Legolas shook his head. "It's a gift, and it's not for sale. Just promise me that you'll be more careful when you ride him." 

"I will. And I thank you again for saving our lives just now."

"Here." Elrohir put the horse's bridle into Hamil's hand. The boy's face changed instantly. "Oh no! My master! He'll be very mad at me for being out so late! I have to go now." As the elves watched, Hamil jumped onto the newly healed gelding and rode away.

Legolas was about to climb back onto his mount when Keldarion called out, "Legolas?"

He paused and looked back at his brother. "Yes?"

"Look. The tavern is not going anywhere. So why don't we make camp here and continue on our way after the sun rises?"

Legolas pondered this, and then grinned cheekily. "Are you saying you guys are tired, Kel?"

Keldarion rolled his eyes while the twins threw their hands in the air. "Yes, we _are tired! You happy? Next time, __you are going to serve the table too! We'll make sure of it!" _

Chuckling, Legolas led his mount off the path into the woods. "Come along, my friend," he said to the stallion. "These three _old_ people want some rest. What can I say? I'm a lot younger than they are. I'm full of energy…while they are just bundles of aging bones and flaccid muscles!"

"We heard that!!"

TBC… 


	4. 4

**I'm glad you guys are enjoying this!! But grrr….!!!! The ffnet is doing it again! I have problem to upload and all that!!!!!!!!!**

**@Kayo : You are very, _very_ close!!**

**@fiery-eyed-elf : There _will_ be a story about Legolas in the Undying Lands, but I'm posting it here very much later!**

**@Gemini72, Lizzle, and those who asked: These are the series in its order ;**

**1. ****The Evil Bride**

**2. ****Traps In The Woods**

**3. ****Tiger, Tiger**

**4. ****Trauma**

**5. ****Through The Eyes Of Hawkeye**

**6. ****Take My Heart Away**

**7. ****Thicker Than Water**

**8. ****Thunder In The Realm**

**9. ****Touch Of A Healer (A prequel to the series, WIP)**

**See? All start with the letter T!!**

**Now enjoy the rest!**

*************************************

"You lie!!" The man yelled as he swung his fist at the cowering boy.

Hamil stumbled to the floor, holding his mouth that started to bleed. "P…please, m…master. I'm telling you the truth. I…I wasn't…trying to run away. Blackjack had stumbled into a hole and…and hurt his legs. That's why we were late."

The man, Azmir son of Athos, the leader of the wild Norsemen clan, glowered at the boy slave. Hamil had taken his beloved horse out for an exercise ride last evening. Usually he would not let anyone else ride the gelding, but Blackjack had been very restless and he had been deep in a meeting with his fellow soldiers. He had ordered the boy to run the gelding for an hour, knowing that Hamil was competent in taking care of horses even at the age of thirteen. But when they didn't return in time, the man began to get angry. Then as hours crept on, he became extremely furious, half expecting the boy to run off with his precious mount.

"Don't lie to me, boy! You said that Blackjack got hurt, but he looks fine to me," Azmir growled. He had been incredibly relief to see that the gelding was indeed in good health after checking the animal all over.

"I swear, master!" Hamil exclaimed, trying to convince the man. "He was hurt. He'd broken his legs. I was hurt too, pinned under him and we couldn't get up. Then came this most beautiful creature I've ever seen! And he had healed us! Our pain and injuries were gone at his mere touch! It was incredible, master. I could hardly believe it myself."

The boy flinched as Azmir crouched down beside him. "What creature? Are you fooling me with your tall tale, boy?"

"No! It's true! He's an elf. A healer. His hair is like spun gold, and his eyes are like silver and…and his touch is magical! There were three dark haired elves with him, and they all had helped me with Blackjack. If not for them, we might still be lying there in the middle of the road."

Azmir's eyes drew to a slit, assessing the boy's words. "An elf healer, boy? You speak the truth?"

Hamil nodded his head vigorously. "I'm not lying, master. It is true."

"Hmmm…" Azmir straightened up, holding his chin as he pondered. "A healer. What a convenience he will be to us here." He looked down at the boy. "Do you know where he's headed?"

"N…no, master," Hamil answered, as he began to regret telling his master about the elf. He didn't like the peculiar expression on Azmir's face. The man was formulating something in that cunning brain of his.

"I see," Azmir said, smiling slightly. "Very well, then. I guess I have to thank you for taking good care of Blackjack."

"Err…y…you're welcome, m…master," Hamil stammered. "May…may I go now?"

"Go? Did I say that you could go?" Azmir shook his head ruefully as he unwound the belt from around his waist. Hamil's eyes widened, as he knew what the man would do to him.

"You have made a mistake, dear boy, for being late. It will not go unpunished," Azmir said, before he swung the belt downward.

***********************

"Legolas? Hey, Legolas! Wake up!" The voice came very near to his ear. Burrowing deeper into his cloak, he grumbled in annoyance, "Oh, go away!"

A few moments later, fresh water came splashing onto his face. Legolas jerked upright, yelling, "Son of a…!!! Don't you know how to wake me up without making me all wet?!"

Elrohir was grinning back at him, clutching his water skin in one hand. "But this is much more fun! I loved it when you thrashed like a fish on dry land just now!"

Legolas jumped up and pounced upon his friend. They grappled about on the ground under the amused stares of Keldarion and Elladan. The other two elves shouted encouragements for their respective brother.

"That's it, Ro! Keep him under!" Elladan yelled.

"Come on, brat! Squeeze his neck! Yes, like that!" shouted Keldarion.

"I bet my dagger that Elrohir will beat him in two minutes flat!"

"Hah! Legolas will crush him in no time at all!"

The wrestling match went on, with Keldarion and Elladan reaching down to lend their hands to the two grunting warriors. The match then became a full-fledged war as the two pairs of brothers attacked one another playfully but very roughly, laughing hysterically like maniacs. Fifteen minutes later, they lay on their backs on the ground, gasping for breath and smiling stupidly.

"Ah…that was fun!" Legolas said, his eyes closed and his arms spread wide at his sides.

"Fun? My arms feel like they are about to come off the sockets!" Elrohir complained. "And you choked me! I can't believe you did that!"

"Yeah, and you sat on my face!" Legolas countered, sitting up and began to advance on Elrohir once more. Elladan and Keldarion came between them before another round of scuffle could take place. 

"That's enough for the day, children!" Keldarion chuckled as he grabbed his brother.

Elladan did likewise with Elrohir. "Come on. Let's get some breakfast first. _Then, you can continue."_

"I don't have any energy left in me," Elrohir groaned. He rummaged through their saddlebag, looking for the zucchini bread that they managed to confiscate from the kitchen before leaving the Mirkwood palace. Legolas grabbed the water skin and went to have his morning wash before joining their small feast. 

An hour later, the four companions were back on their journey to Bree.

*********************

"Pull your hood on, guys. Especially you, Legolas," Elladan told as they approached the town of men on foot. They had let their mounts roamed free several leagues away, knowing that the magnificent elven horses would only attract unwanted attention from the town people.

"_Me? What do you mean by that?" Legolas halted and frowned at Elladan._

Elladan sighed. "Usually, I would not say this, but you are _embarrassingly_ too beautiful to look at! The humans would not stop staring if they caught sight of your face! So ask no more question and put the hood on!"

With his arms crossed over his chest, Legolas glared at Elladan. "_Embarrassingly beautiful_?"

Keldarion chuckled. "Yes. And infuriatingly stubborn! So do as he says!" He reached up and pulled the hood of Legolas's cloak over his brother's head, concealing the delicate shape of pointed ears and shining golden tresses.

Legolas stood scowling. "I'm _not beautiful! You made me sound like I'm a maiden!"_

Elrohir laughed. "You _look like a maiden! With that creamy skin and all! _Ai_! You're glowing so bright even Arwen cannot match your radiance!"_

"Go feed yourself to the Balrog, Ro!!"

Elrohir laughed harder, then dodged away swiftly when Legolas took a swipe at him. 

"Ai, Elbereth! Will you two knock that out?!" Elladan yelled. "Do you still want to have the taste of that beer, Legolas? Or you just want to kill each other senseless? We can always return home to do just that!"

"I want that beer. But keep him away from me!" Legolas growled and turned towards the direction of the town. The others followed him, snickering behind his back.

The town was bustling with activities in the early afternoon; fishmongers and butchers were crying out their wares, the women were coming in an out of the shops with packages of their purchases in their arms, the men walked around as they talked and laughed at one another, and the children ran here and there in their own cheerful world. It was not so much different from the wonderful Shire village of the hobbits, except for the wickedness and crudity of men that lay obscured behind their many facades.

The elves did not fully trust men. To them, men were weak and easily bent under their heart's desire. Isildur's refusal to destroy the One Ring had caused the elves to be very wary of humans since then. Some of the humans were known to be honorable and dignified, like the Dunedains, but the rest of them were full of menace, greedy and cruel. Legolas kept away from men as far as possible, thus this was his first venture into the town of human after 200 years.

The town's people glanced at the four tall hooded strangers before they carried on with their business. The strangers were not a peculiar sight to them as the town had received various kinds of visitors like hobbits, elves, dwarves and rangers. But like the elves, they humans did not let down their guards completely. They also wondered if the new arrivals were spies of the Norsemen, a clan that loved to wage war against the nearby villages and small towns, plundering for riches and goods in pure gluttony.

Elrohir had paused to stare at a bakery stall, eyeing the aromatic fresh baked delicacies cooling in the breeze. "Those look delicious!"

"Ro, we have had breakfast!" Elladan said, rolling his eyes as his twin handed out some coins to the seller in exchange of a blueberry muffin.

"This is my second breakfast!" Elrohir said through a mouthful of a bite.

"Now you sound like a hobbit!" Keldarion laughed.

"I'm sorry for him, guys," Elladan spoke ruefully. "He's an embarrassment to the family. How we used to share the same womb, I have no idea!"

Legolas, meanwhile, was staring at a spread blanket where an elderly man sat down and put up several puppies for sale. The elf prince was already walking towards it but his brother managed to grab him. "Oh no, you don't! We are not here to collect strays or blasted pets! It's the tavern, remember?" 

Keldarion knew that his brother's greatest weakness was small and helpless animals. Legolas always brought home strays and injured animals for healing. The Mirkwood palace sometimes resembled a wilderness with those creatures moving about freely.

When the four companions entered the tavern, they found that it was already packed even during the day. Looked like it was not too early for the humans to get drunk. Searching for empty seats, Legolas stared at everything around him with interest. 

No less than five men were already slumped over the table, very deep in their cups. A group of lads were laughing wildly a few feet away, while several mysteriously looking men occupied another table in a corner. Three bargirls sashayed among the patrons, bearing trays filled with glasses of drinks. The barkeep was yelling at a customer who had thrown up onto the tavern's wooden floor.

 "Over here," said Elladan, indicating an unoccupied table near the back of the room. As they all sat down, a bargirl came forward, looking very bored and tired. "What can I get you?" She then did a double take as she got the first look on their faces, and stared at Legolas's glowing features. 

"Oh, my! Hello, there!" She instantly straightened, put a smile on her lips and placed a hand on her right hip in such a provocative manner that Elrohir gulped visibly. "Let's start again. What can I get you all, _handsome people_?"

Elbowing his twins in warning to behave, Elladan spoke, "A glass of beer for each of us."

"Will that be all? Any food? Smoking pipe?" The bargirl bent closer, giving them the full view through the V collar of her blouse. "Women?"

"No, just beer," Elrohir answered, barely managed not to squeak.

"Well, too bad." She looked a little disappointed. Running her fingers down Legolas's smooth cheek, she said in that slightly raspy voice, "Don't hesitate to ask me if you change your mind, sugar."

They stared as she moved away towards the bar, swinging her hips like a dancer. 

"Whew!!" Legolas rubbed the sweat off his forehead. "She is seductive!"

"Yeah. Most women are like that. They are a lot different than our maidens," Elrohir replied, staring at the bargirl that was relaying their order to the barkeep. 

The bargirl then returned with their drinks, smiling all the while. She winked at Elrohir before she left. Elrohir winked back, much to his brother's annoyance. "What?" Elrohir asked innocently as he saw the scowl on Elladan's face.

"You're behaving like a stallion in heat!"

"And you're like an old frustrated gelding!"

"Why you…!!!" Elladan reached up and smacked the back of his brother's head. Elrohir retaliated by kicking his brother's legs under the table. Unfortunately, he accidentally kicked Keldarion's legs instead.

"Owww!! Stop that, you guys!" the prince yelled. "We are here to give a beer lesson to Legolas, not sins of the flesh!"

The twins stopped shoving around and began to laugh. "_Sins of the flesh_?"

Keldarion rolled his eyes. "Whatever! Now, behave and let's see if…" He broke off as he saw Legolas had already emptied his glass. 

Legolas stared back at them, smiling in pure bliss. "That tastes good! Can I have another one?"

********************

The man stared at the group of tall hooded strangers intently. He could see that they did not move like most humans. The way they sat and their body movements spoke of elegance and gracefulness. Their voices were quite enchanting, even when they conversed in Westron with the bargirl just now. But he managed to catch the elven tongue in their speech when they talked to one another in that soft and low voice.

"They are elves," Garret, son of Azmir, stated to the other men at his table.

"Could they be the elves that your father wants?" asked Jamin, one of the right hand men of the Norsemen clan leader.

"How do we know if the healer elf is among them?" Harron, the other Norsemen interrupted.

"Let's wait and see," Garret replied before he gulped down his drink. His eyes never left the other group.

TBC… 


	5. 5

**Well, looks like the ffnet is back to order…and I hope it stays that way forever!!!!!!!!! Oh, here's another chappie!**

An hour later, after three glasses of beer, Elrohir began to get crossed eyed, Elladan started to feel light headed while Keldarion thought he could hear angels singing in his head. But Legolas, damn his eyes, was having the time of his life! With a goofy grin on his face, Legolas slammed down his glass onto the table and cried out, "More! I want more!"

Keldarion sighed. _I should have known this would happen. "No. That's enough, Legolas. You have had more than you should."_

"Why? What's wrong with that? I've only had three," Legolas pouted, putting up his two fingers for his brother to see. The other elves couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.

"Ai! He's drunk!" Elrohir pointed out.

"And I'm dead! Father will definitely kill me for this!" Keldarion shook his head, smiling ruefully as he saw his brother blink, giggle, hiccup all at the same time. _He's going to have a major of a headache tomorrow!_

Elladan grabbed his glass from out of Legolas's reach. "This is mine! You have finished yours, so sit there until we are through with ours."

"More? Pleaseeeeeeeeeee…" Legolas leaned against his brother and begged like a child would a candy. 

"No." Keldarion was adamant.

"But Kel, you are so handsome and you are my favorite brother and I love you and I know you love me too so please get me another one!!"

They laughed out loud to hear that. Then Legolas started to fidget with the hood of his cloak. "Is it just me, or is it too hot in here?" Much to his companions' surprise, Legolas tugged the hood off his head, and his long golden hair instantly tumbled out and settled over his shoulders. 

"Put your hood back on, you idiot!" Keldarion reached up and yanked the cloth back over his brother's head amid Legolas's protest.

"It's hot!!" Legolas whined.

"Serves you right!" Wiping the sweat off his brother's forehead with the sleeve of his shirt, Keldarion scanned the room. The other patrons seemed very engrossed with their own business; they might not have seen what had transpired just now. "That was stupid, Legolas!"

"It was not stupid! I was hot! I still am! Come on, what would exactly happen if we take off our hood? No one would care."

Keldarion and the twins exchanged glances. "We better leave now," Elladan said finally. "He's right. It's too hot and stuffy in here. We've been here for far too long anyway."

"No!" Legolas cried out. "Don't leave yet! I lied. It's not hot. See? I'm cool."

"Legolas, you are dead drunk," said Elrohir, grinning as his friend grabbed the table and won't let go.

"And you're a dwarf with too much hair and no brain, Ro!" Legolas suddenly swung his fist but Keldarion managed to grab it before it connected with Elrohir's face. Elrohir laughed harder, Elladan shook his head, while Keldarion rolled his eyes.

Holding the unsteady Legolas between them, the elves were about to abandon their table when the bargirl came with a full tray. "Don't leave yet, handsome people. Here's another round, on the house!"

"Woohoo!!" Legolas cried out and immediately grabbed one of the full glasses. He gulped it down greedily. 

"Legolas!" Keldarion growled, pulling the glass away from his brother's lips. "You have had enough!"

"Oh yeah?" Legolas's eyes narrowed when his brother finished the rest of the content. "Hey, that's mine!"

"Shut up, brat. Beer is definitely not your drink."

"As this is your first time, you are not use to its effects," Elladan added as he joined his friends emptying the other glasses.   

"In other words, you are not as strong as us!" Elrohir exclaimed, putting down his empty glass on the table with a loud thunk.

"Hey, I'm strong!" Legolas protested. He stood up abruptly and immediately went pale. "Err…guys? I…I think…I'm gonna throw up…"

The other elves hastily grabbed their companion and rushed him to the door. Elladan managed to toss some coins to the bargirl for their drinks. 

"Come again, handsome people!" she called out, smiling widely. Then she lazily walked towards the table where Garret and his men sat. "It's done."

*********************

Legolas moaned as he took one careful step after another. He tightly clutched his brother's right arm, holding on for dear life. "Slow down, Kel. I'm dying here," he muttered.

Keldarion and the others chuckled. It was not a pretty sight when they exited the tavern. Legolas had headed straight for the nearby bushes and retched for several minutes. When he finished, his face had turned almost green and his eyes were bloodshot.

"I was wrong," Keldarion had said when he saw his brother's face then. "You are not going to have the major of a headache tomorrow. You're going to have it _today!"_

Legolas had no strength to reply. His only answer was a murderous glare directed at Keldarion that was immediately spoiled by a grimace. 

"How I wish we could paint you right now, Legolas! You look _magnificent!" Elrohir teased as they walked down the trail to get their mounts._

Legolas fumed. Growling deep in his throat, he spun and aimed a kick at the Rivendell elf. Elrohir deftly stepped aside. Losing his balance, Legolas ended up on his back on the ground, groaning pitifully. "Stop taunting me and just kill me…"

Grinning, Keldarion reached down to help. "Come. Get up."

"No. Let me sleep," Legolas whispered back, unmoving.

"Let's get you to the place where we make camp last night. _Then_ you can sleep."

"I can't get up! The world keeps spinning! And I'm seeing three of you, Kel."

Laughing, the twins also lend their hands pulling Legolas back on his feet. Legolas winced when Elladan whistled for their mounts. "Did you have to do that?" he asked, holding his head. Elladan only grinned back at him.

Soon after, the horses came forward from wherever place they were roaming. Legolas had some trouble mounting up, so unsteady on his feet he was. Keldarion helped by pushing up his brother's derriere. "Want me to ride with you?" Keldarion asked, smiling innocently. 

Legolas glared back and kicked his heels. When the stallion shot forward like an arrow, putting pressure to his aching head, he immediately regretted for doing so.

_I'm not drinking beer ever again!_

*********************

It was already dusk when they reached their makeshift camp. Legolas dropped unsteadily from his mount, plodded forwards on heavy feet, and plopped himself onto the blanket that his brother had hastily spread for him. He was snoring soon after.

Keldarion smiled, shaking his head at his brother's pitiful sight. "Boy, he's sure got it bad, doesn't he?"

The twins laughed. "Do you think he'll drink it again?" Elladan voiced out as he helped Keldarion pulled the strap that held Legolas's twin blades off the slumbering elf's back. Like them, Legolas had left his bow and arrows tied to his mount, knowing that the weapons would only be too obvious for the people of Bree.

"Certainly not tonight or tomorrow!" Elrohir said as he unclasped Legolas's cloak and arranged it more comfortably around his friend's body. Oblivious to his companions' ministrations and the sounds around him, Legolas sighed in total surrender as he drifted off deeper into oblivion.

After taking care of the mounts, Elladan and Keldarion worked together building a fire. Elrohir meanwhile had settled down beside the sleeping prince. Elladan smirked. "Don't tell me you're drunk too, Ro!"

Elrohir yawned. "I'm not drunk! I'm sleepy."

"Sleepy? It's still too early!" Keldarion pointed out. "We haven't had our dinner yet!"

There was no answer. Elrohir was already asleep. Elladan crept closer to his twin, peering down. He pulled the cloak over his brother's shoulders, saying, "Looks like the dinner have to wait. These two are totally wiped out."

Keldarion chuckled. Sitting down just beside Legolas's sleeping form, he leaned his back against the trunk of a tree and prepared to keep watch for the night. But somehow, his whole body relaxed much more quickly than he thought. His eyes grew heavy lidded and he began to have troubles keeping himself awake. "Ell?" 

When he received no response, Keldarion looked up and was flabbergasted to see his friend slumped over his twin, unconscious. The prince's heart beat faster involuntarily. _What in the world…?_

Keldarion reached over and shook Elladan, urging his friend to wake up. He tried to yell, but he couldn't get his tongue to work properly. _What's going on?_ His sluggish mind tried to figure out the whole strange situation but nothing made sense. As heavy blackness began to envelop him, Keldarion reacted in pure instinct by pulling his brother protectively into his arms.

Then he knew nothing more…

TBC… 

********************

**"Everyone, this is Keldarion speaking. I have one advise for you : DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE. Or, actually, 'don't drink and ride' if you're in _my_ world. Once, I got drunk and stupidly went out for a wild ride. You know what happened? I plowed straight into a tree! Thankfully, I was unhurt…except for my injured pride. Luckily, I didn't hurt the horse or anyone else. But the hangover after that was so terrible I wished I died in that crash!"**

**                "Kel?"**

**                "What, brat?"**

**                "Stop yakking about! I'm trying to sleep here!"**

P/s : I really, _really_ hope the ffnet is not having that uploading problems again! I nearly send my computer to computer heaven when the uploading system didn't work!!!!       


	6. 6

**@Zoya : Kimi has lost his lead to MS by three points! Argh!!!!!!!!**

**Please excuse my scream above. I'm still hyperventilating about F1 Canadian Grand Prix yesterday. Now read on, guys.**

The crown prince of Mirkwood was the first person to wake up the next day. "Ugh…my head…" He winced, squinting his eyes against the light. From the position of the sun, he realized with surprise that it was already afternoon.

The twins also stirred. "Valar! What's wrong with my brain?" Elrohir complained loudly. 

Elladan shook his head, and immediately wished he hadn't. "I don't know and I don't care. I can't believe this! Are we having a hangover? I bet Legolas fared the worse…"

"Legolas!" Keldarion suddenly cried out. He looked around him in frantic. "Where is he? Do you see him? Legolas!!!"

The twins were shock to see the empty blanket beside Keldarion. Elladan reached down and felt that the blanket was cold, no trace of warmth whatsoever. "He has been gone for quite a long while."

Still unsteady on their feet, the elves started to search the area for their missing companion but to no avail. They found out that Legolas had left behind his beloved weapons, which was extremely not like him. And to their horror, they also came across some foreign tracks that had broken through their campsite. The tracks had come from the common trail and retreated into the same path to merge with hundreds of other tracks, which made it impossible for the elves to trace where the intruders had gone.

 "Whoever they are, we had not sense their approach. Ai! They could have killed us all in our sleep!" Elladan growled, glaring at the footprints near the base of the tree where Legolas had slept. 

Keldarion's eyes were downcast as he clenched his fists. "They took my brother right from my arms! And I didn't feel a thing! Arghh!!!" The prince spun around and hit his fist against the tree trunk. A mixture of emotions churned inside his heart and flowed swiftly through his veins; fury, guilt, panic and fear. He didn't know which was worse; not knowing where Legolas was taken, or knowing that he'd been unable to stop it.

"Why would they take Legolas?" Elrohir asked, placing a comforting hand on Keldarion's shoulder.

"And why were we totally oblivious to it all? We had slept like the dead! Ai! This doesn't make sense," Elladan said, frowning in deep thought.

"The drinks," Keldarion said shortly.

"What?" The twins were puzzled, then their eyes widened. "The beers! You think someone had put something else in it?" Elrohir exclaimed.

"Sleeping powder, most probably. The drink itself would never have rendered me senseless like last night," Elladan said, holding his chin as he pondered. "But why? And they took only Legolas? Why didn't they take us all?"

"So many questions but no answers. Right now, I'm more interested to get my brother back and killing those responsible for all this!" Keldarion muttered through his gritted teeth. 

"The best place to start is the tavern," Elladan suggested.

****************************

Legolas woke up to a band of crazy orcs hitting at war drums inside his head. Thousands of them. He groaned deeply. _That's it! I'm not drinking beer again! What a hangover!_

He reached up to grab his head but his hands felt strange, as if they were being tugged down. The sound of rattling chains startled him. As his sight began to focus, he realized that he was lying not in the woods with his companions, but completely alone in a room of a wooden shack! And he was bound hand and foot in shackles!

The elf prince jerked upright instantly, and cursed himself for doing so when his head came near to exploding. Gritting his teeth in pain, Legolas looked around him, still in disbelief and confusion. _How did I get here? Where are the others?_

"Kel?" he called out, not knowing if anyone could hear him. "Come on, guys. Is this a joke? If it is, it's not funny!" He desperately tugged at the iron rings around his wrists, even though he knew it was a futile effort. He began to panic now. He truly wished that his brother and the twins were actually pulling pranks on him, abducting him like they did to him a couple of days ago. But he also knew that Keldarion would never let them put him in chains. Ever.

The elf's kin senses caught an approaching presence. A human's. The door to the room swung open and a boy timidly entered. Legolas was incredibly surprised. "Hamil?"

Hamil had troubles looking at the elf straight in the eye. "M…my lord…"

"What's the meaning of this? Where are my friends?" Legolas could not keep the anger out of his voice as he glared at the quivering boy. "Why am I in chains?!"

"Forgive me, my lord," Hamil spoke, as he slowly walked closer. "It's all my fault. My master was very angry when I returned so late yesterday night. I had to tell him about my accident and how you had healed the stallion and me back to health."

"And he captured me for that? Why?"

"I'm not sure, my lord. I'm just his slave. But I'm truly sorry for dragging you into this." The boy was crying now.

Legolas's sharp eyes could see that the boy was bending slightly, like he was in pain. "Did your master hurt you, boy?"

Hamil looked up and reluctantly nodded.

"Come here," Legolas ordered. The boy scooted closer and let the elf looked him over. Legolas hissed in anger when he saw the terrible welts and bruises all over Hamil's back. "What did he do to you?"

"He hit me with his belt. It's to remind me not to be late again," Hamil said, wincing as Legolas reached forward and touched the throbbing skin. But then the pain was swept away to be replaced by the pleasant sensation as Legolas's healing power took over. 

Inside, Legolas was seething. _What kind of person would do this to a child?_ So intent he was in his task, Legolas was late to sense the approaching men at the doorway.

"Well, well, well. The healer at work."

Hamil scurried away from the elf as he heard that voice. He started to cower in a corner. "M…master…"

Legolas looked up and stared. He recognized two of them as the mysterious looking men in the tavern. The tall, big man who spoke just now must be their leader, the one that Hamil called master. "Who are you?"

"I'm known as Azmir. And you are to become my slave."

"Your _slave?" Legolas stared at the man. "Are you out of your mind?"_

Azmir frowned. The elf seemed not to be afraid of them, but looked defiant and regal instead. "I'm perfectly sane, master elf. I know what I'm doing."

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Legolas asked challengingly.

"Yes. You're an elf healer. And we had witnessed your ability just now. It's a shame that a wonderful creature like you had fallen so easily into our grasp."

Legolas nearly laughed. He thought that they had captured him to get ransom from his father. It looked like they really didn't know his true identity. Still, his situation was not a comfortable one. "What have you done to my friends? If you hurt them…"

"What are you going to do then? You are completely at our mercy, elf," the young man behind Azmir sneered. The clan leader chuckled at his son's words. "Your friends are fine. My men have drugged you all quite heavily in the tavern. Except for splitting headaches, they are not harmed in any way. We took you from them without much hassle."

"What do you want to do with me?" Legolas glared at the men. He was quite relieved to know that Keldarion and the others were unhurt…if the human's words could be trusted, that is.

"That was exactly what I want to tell you when I told this boy to fetch you for me," Azmir said, glowering at Hamil. The boy lowered down his head and trembled in fear. "When he got late, again, I knew I had to come to see you myself. Such an annoying feat, I tell you. He is no use to me as a slave if he keeps this tardiness!" As Azmir moved forward and lifted his hand to strike the boy with his fist, Legolas cried out, "Don't hit him, you orc!"

The men stared at the elf in surprise. No one dared to speak in such a manner to the leader of the Norsemen clan. The young man named Garret stalked closer to Legolas and demanded, "What did you just call my father?"

"An orc! A jerk! A bastard! Want to hear more?" Legolas was so overcome with fury. _How dare they treat a child like that! He didn't care that his outburst had angered Azmir's son. The elf glared at the young man who began to raise his fist to hit him._

"Garret!" Azmir admonished, smiling slightly. "It's all right. We'll have more time for that later. But for now, let's show this elf his new home." At his signal, the men grabbed Legolas's arms, pulling him to his feet and began to drag to elf out of the room. Legolas stumbled, struggling to keep up with them as his ankles were still cuffed together and the short piece of chain that connected them didn't allow him for anything more than tiny, hobbling steps.

Legolas felt a hot burning fury running through his veins for being treated in such humiliation. _They are going to pay for this! He let himself be led away without uttering a word, though. Once in a while, he would glance back at Hamil who was also dragged along by Azmir. He had no idea what the man was going to do to that boy._

They led him out of the shack and headed straight towards another wooden building. The place was a military base of some kind. _The Norsemen!_ Legolas thought in dismay. He could see more of them roaming about in the vicinity. They had unkempt appearance, shoulder length haired and mostly heavy bearded. The men were all staring back at him with such interest and awe that Legolas glared back at them in disdain.

They pushed him through the door, nearly sending him to his knees if his nimble feet had not managed to keep himself upright. What he saw next caused a sliver of dread ran up his spine.

Rows upon rows of sleeping pallets filled up the hall, occupied by the many wounded soldiers of the Norsemen. Some were groaning in pain, totally succumbed to oblivion. Most of them were awake though, cursing and grumbling as they fidgeted about, hating their own useless condition. But they quieted when Azmir entered, and they began staring at the magnificent creature that their leader had brought along.

Legolas blanched. He now knew the purpose of him being here.

Azmir saw the way the elf's eyes widened in comprehension. "You are smart. You already figured out why we bring you here without being told. Good. Now, get to work!" 

Legolas firmly planted his feet. "No."

"What did you say?"

"Are you deaf? I said no! I will never be your slave, healing these men for your benefit so that they can resume make war with the small villages and kill innocent human beings again! I will _not_ submit to your evil cravings and greediness!"

Azmir's face was thunderous. He pulled out the dagger strapped to his waist and grabbed the trembling Hamil closer to him. With one flick of his wrist, the blade sliced through the boy's throat swiftly. Blood poured out freely from the cut. Hamil went into spasms as he fell to the floor, grabbing his bleeding neck.

Legolas gasped in astonishment. He instantly rushed forward and knelt down beside the boy. Placing his bound hands on the cut, Legolas began the process of healing the injury. All the while, he stared into the boy's eyes that were filled with horrible fear and agony.

When he finished, Legolas looked up and couldn't keep the hatred for the man out of his flashing eyes. "You are worse than an animal!"

Garret advanced forward and backhanded him. "Damn you, elf! I could have cut your tongue off!"

Legolas's head snapped to the side from the blow. He turned back his head to glare at the men, his head held high even when he was on his knees on the floor.

"You will heal every one of them to complete health, or I will hurt this boy again until you do so! I know your weakness, elf! You can't stand to see this boy suffer. But how I love to hurt him again and again! So you better do as I say or I will cut him again and let him bleed to death!!" Azmir growled, clutching at Hamil by his hair. The newly healed boy was crying and looked terribly scared. He gazed back at Legolas pleadingly.

Legolas's shoulders slumped then. They had won.

**TBC….**


	7. 7

Okay! Okay! I'll continue! Who am I to say no to you all? Anyway, great reviews! Thank you soooooooooo much!!

**@Katherine : If you keep up that kind of reviews, I'll supply you Kel and Leggy adventure for a full year! LOL!! Thanks!**

**@Zoya : Monty and Ralfie's mirrors falling off are definitely funny! That's the only highlight of the race, I would say!**

**Okay, here's the rest!!!!!**

****************************************

"You come looking for me? Why, handsome people, you make me so pleased!" the bargirl from last night crooned at the elves when they got back to the tavern and sought her out. 

Keldarion's face was impassive. The prince let the twins do the talking for he was afraid that he might say or do something that would only made matters worse. His fury was boiling over and his eyes flashed dangerously. He longed to wrap his hands around the woman's neck and squeeze then and there until she told them everything she knew about Legolas's abduction. But that would only drag them into other kinds of problems.

"How could we forget your offer last night, lady? You are such a nice company," said Elrohir, tracing his fingers up the woman's arm seductively. "Very _nice indeed."_

She blushed prettily. "Really? Well, who am I to say no to you. Come along, then. My room is upstairs. Remember one thing, though. I'm not doing this for free, no matter how delightful I am to have the three handsome people like you as my…errr…'guests'."

"Don't worry. We'll pay good money," Elladan said, before exchanging meaningful glances with Keldarion. The prince was clenching his fists, trying very hard to control his wrath and impatience.

They followed her up the stairs near the back of the tavern as she gave them the view of her enticing swaying hips. She opened the door at the right and let them all in. It was a sparsely furnished bedroom. The colors were gaudy and the room reeked of cheap perfume and sweat. The elves, used to the fine scent of their realms, wrinkled their nose in disgust.

After closing the door and locking it, she turned and asked, "All right, who's going to be first?"

Keldarion stepped forward and pulled down his hood, fully revealing his stony countenance…and his pointed ears. The twins also did the same.

The woman gaped, her mouth dropped open. "_Elves_? You are elves?"

"Why do you look so surprised?" Keldarion said softly. "Didn't you know who we are when you put whatever nasty thing in our drinks last night?"

"I…I…I don't know what you're talking about!" She began to walk backwards and sat down hard on the bed, staring with fear at the fury on Keldarion's face. 

"Don't lie to me, woman! Who told you to mess with our drinks?! Who paid you to help them kidnap my brother?!"

"What?! Kidnap? Look, I swear I didn't know about any of this!"

"You swear?" Elladan joined in. The woman flinched as he pulled out his dagger from the strap behind his back. "How about some test? Your face is beautiful, don't you know that? Surely you don't want it to be marred by scars?"

She opened her mouth to scream for help but Elrohir reached forward and cupped his hand over her mouth. "If you scream, we'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the butcher so he can sell it to the highest bidder! Now, tell us, who told you to do those things you did last night?"

After Elrohir took away his hand, the woman began to talk, stammering in her fright. "I…I…swear I didn't know…th…they were going to kidnap any one of you. They told me…it's…it's for fun. A prank. They said they wanted to get the four of you…c…completely drunk, that's all. So I put the sleeping powder they gave me and slipped it into your drinks."

"The ones that you said were 'on the house'?" Keldarion asked, his voice a little tight and his arms crossed over his chest as he stood there glaring at her.

"Yes."

"So the barkeep, you employer is also in this?"

"N…no. Actually the men paid for the drinks. My boss knows nothing about this. Please don't tell him, or I will get fired and tossed out into the street. He doesn't care about me having my own customers but hates me to get involved in something as terrible as this."

"Who are those men?" Keldarion asked again through gritted teeth. The woman was a little reluctant to tell, refusing to meet his eyes. "Th…they've paid me and made me promised not to tell…"

"Just answer me!!!!" Keldarion's voice was a loud roar that the woman jumped in terror.

"The Norsemen! They were the Norsemen! Garret, the son of the clan leader, used to come to me for my services. But please don't tell my boss I told you this! He didn't know that the Norsemen had visited this tavern, and he would not like it!"

"The Norsemen," the Mirkwood prince said grimly before he turned around to unlock the door and rushed out of the room, the twins following him in his wake. 

Elrohir paused at the doorway and looked back at the sobbing bargirl. "We would never hurt you, lady. We are not cruel like your kind. But remember this; we will do anything if one of us were harmed. _Anything_."

With that, the tall elf moved away, leaving the woman wishing she never met the four 'handsome people'.

***************************

Legolas began to sway on his feet as he moved away from his sleeping patient. This one's injury was very serious; a knife wound near to the heart that he had just managed to close up, stopping the heavy flow of bleeding. The man before him had lost one eye, caused by a sharp point of a spear. Legolas was not able to heal it back to its former condition as the eyeball was badly crushed. 

The man had become very angry then, accusing the elf for deliberately leaving him half-blinded. Before Legolas could avoid it, a heavy blow from the man's fist caught the side of his head and the prince stumbled to the floor, moaning dizzily. Already exhausted beyond imagination, he was unable to get up. He could not even move quickly enough to avoid a brutal kick to his side before the man swiveled around and exited the healing hall in a huff.

The other men that he had healed before were no better. They taunted and cursed at him, warning him to stay away from them. But then they fell into contented bliss at his magical touch as their pain vanished and their injuries healed. Soon after, the men began to fight one another over him, demanding to be healed first before the others. The wild men even grabbed his arms and hair, pulling him here and there like a group of boys fighting over a toy. If that wasn't enough, they began to yank at his chains and kept him immobile as they forced him to place his hands on them so they could feel the wonderful sensation of his healing touch again, even though Legolas had already healed them completely. 

The two men who were appointed as his guards only looked on at the whole fiasco in amusement before sending the healed Norsemen out of the hall, leaving Legolas trembling both in terror and fury. He wanted so badly to fight back, but the shackles on his arms and ankles hindered his movements. He also didn't want anything to happen to Hamil, who was also put in chains to guarantee Legolas's cooperation.

His guards kept their eyes on him all the time, never permitting him to exit the hall, preventing him from escape. Hamil was allowed to fetch the elf some food and drink which consisted of several slices of bread and plain water. Even when his stomach grumbled in hunger, Legolas refused to eat the food and gave it to Hamil instead for the boy looked slightly malnourished. He drank the water though, because he knew he was going to need it lot of it in his body for the healing process.

The _manyan prince had been healing more than twenty men the whole day, starting with the least serious wounded Norsemen before moving on to the rest that was either dying or unconscious. The toll of his effort began to consume him, weakening and draining him fast. Night had fallen, but there were several more injured Norsemen that he needed to attend to. But he needed rest so terribly that he practically crawled to the wall and laid down._

Legolas drifted off into deep sleep as soon as his head touched the floor…

***************************

The three elves crouched down behind some bushes in the darkness, gazing down from atop the small hill near the human base. They saw the activities down there as the Norsemen walked to and fro minding their own business, while some of them surrounded the big fire in the heart of the camp as they shared dirty jokes and bloodcurdling stories. Several guards took positions at their appointed points, keeping their eyes on any intruders. After a quick count, the elves found that there were near to two hundred men in the base, not including the unseen people inside the buildings; a very odd number for the three of them to overtake.

Worst of all, they couldn't see any sign of Legolas.

"Where is he?" Keldarion muttered. "I can sense him, though it's not strong, but I'm sure he's there somewhere."

"They are keeping him prisoner, that's for sure. He might be inside one of the shacks," Elladan said.

"I know, but which one?" Keldarion had become more frustrated by the hour, and he began to get overwhelmed by guilt and worry. _What am I going to tell father? _

After leaving the tavern, the three companions had headed straight for the Norsemen base, which was situated at the foot of a mountain about fifty leagues away from Bree. The elves had had their own encounters with the wild bunch of men before and knew precisely of the clan's location, but never had any strong reason to confront them. The Norsemen seemed more intent to wage wars against their own humankind and rarely came into conflict with the elves. But now, the men had crossed the absolute line by taking Legolas captive. 

_I'll get you out of there, brother. I swear. Just give me a sign that you are still alive and well. Please. Keldarion prayed, clenching his fists._

As the night grew old, the elves kept on with the long wait, assessing the situation for any opportunity, and hoping to catch a glimpse of their abducted companion before they could conduct a rescue attempt.

They vowed to get Legolas back no matter what the cost.

**************************

One moment Legolas was totally deep in a dreamless sleep, but snapped awake the next in incredible shock as he felt roaming hands all over his body. He bolt upright and stared at the hideous leering face of the one eyed man that he'd healed before. "Get your hands off me! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Ooohh…temper, temper," the man sneered. "You're such an incredible creature. So beautiful, so pretty…"

Legolas paled. The man reeked heavily of beer. _Ai! He is drunk!_ "Get away from me! What more do you want?"

The human stared hungrily at the elf's chest. Legolas looked down and couldn't help gasping in dismay when he saw that the top catches of his tunic were already unclasped, revealing his creamy glowing skin to the man's lone eye. He had not been aware when the man had done that. Clutching the collar of his tunic together, Legolas scooted backwards until his back rested against the wall. "Get. Away. From. Me," Legolas repeated, word by word, glaring at the man all the while.

"Come, lass. Don't be such a snob," the man crowded closer, putting his face near Legolas's neck. His despicable lips began to make butterfly kisses on the soft delectable skin.

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Legolas began to get angry. _Lass? He thinks I'm a girl? Is he blind? Wait, technically he is. Why, he deserves to be blind completely!_ Without warning, the elf prince brought up his bound hands together and hit the man's jaw. Hard.

The man howled, clutching his jaw in intense agony. Legolas's stood up and hit him again, this time aiming for the man's remaining eye by bringing down the point of his elbow with all his might. The sickening sound of squishing flesh and squirting blood filled the room amid the terrible scream coming out of the man. He tumbled to the floor, grabbing his eyes and hollering all the while. Legolas just stood there and looked on with no expression on his face, his chest bare through the opened tunic.

The noise brought his guards running in from outside the door. They had decided to take a break when they saw the elf had fallen into sleep a couple hours ago so they didn't know that their one-eyed comrade had reentered the healing hall. When they saw their friend writhing and screaming hysterically on the floor, the men immediately rushed towards Legolas, brandishing their clubs and fists. 

Still furious, Legolas reacted without thinking. The elf struck back at them the best he could in his bound state. He deftly dodged their blows, then swung the length of chain connected to the ring on his wrists around one man's neck and twisted it viciously, while jumping up at the same time to kick the other man fully on his chest. The guard toppled backwards and landed hard on the floor. More men came rushing into the hall, including Azmir and his son. They could hear the whole commotion from the campfire outside.

"Stop him!" Azmir yelled. His eyes bulged as he caught sight of the dead body of one of his men, obviously the elf's handiwork. The crushing blow to the man's eye had also penetrated to his brain, killing him in mere minutes. _Damn! The elf is deadly even when he's bound and unarmed!_

Legolas threw the man in his hold towards the approaching Norsemen. They caught their friend and kept coming for him. The elf fought valiantly but he was no match for them as they were many while he was only one.

A hard knock to the back of his head made his knees buckled. He stumbled and they swarmed all over him.

TBC… 

**He! He! He! I know you will hate that one! CLIFFIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Scream, guys! Scream!!!!!!!!**


	8. 8

**Hey, guys! Have you all seen the poster for 'Pirates Of Caribbean'? Orli looked incredibly delicious and dangerous! His hair all dark and shoulder length, with three days worth of whiskers on his face. WOW!!! A _lot_ different from Legolas, I tell you!!! Hmmm…now he gave me good reason to write fanfics about Pirates Of Caribbean…**

**Okay, here's the chapter for today.**

************************

"Look! Something's happening!" Elrohir exclaimed, pointing at the disturbance in the human base. The elves stared as the men rushed together into one of the wooden buildings, attracted by strange noises coming from within. Several minutes later, the men came out, dragging a limp form along between them. 

Keldarion and the twins' breath caught painfully in their throat as they clearly saw who the person was.

Legolas.

***********************

The men dragged the half-conscious elf towards a pole in the middle of the clearing. They put the chain of his shackles over a hook far above Legolas's head and he dangled there, facing the pole, his toes barely touching the ground. 

Moaning, Legolas raised his head and stared in apprehension at the Norsemen surrounding him. They jeered and hollered at him, very angry that he had killed one of them. The sound was deafening, the tension was frightening, but Legolas's will did not waver. _Don't show your fear. Don't show that you're scared. Still, he couldn't stop the trembles running down his body._

Azmir came closer then, dragging a terrified Hamil with him. "So, elf. You're not only a healer, you're also a killer."

Legolas glared at him. "Tell me something else that I don't know."

Garret stepped beside his father. "I'll tell you what you should know. You're going to pay for what you've done! You must be punished!"

The elf snorted. "Such justified words, coming from a bastard like you!"

The man fumed. He grabbed a fistful of Legolas's hair, jerking the elf's head backward before slamming it forward against the pole. Legolas could not stop crying out in shocked pain. 

Garret took out a dirk and used the sharp blade to cut through the back of Legolas's tunic. The man pushed the tattered cloth out of the way, bearing Legolas's smooth, glowing back to the cool air and their naked eyes. 

Someone gave Azmir a long whip made of black leather. Smiling, the clan leader pushed Hamil to the ground. The boy was sobbing now, begging for mercy from his master. "No...master, please…"

"Look here, elf!" Azmir cried out. "See what you have caused! For every lash you received, this boy is going to get double!"

Legolas'e eyes widened. "No! Leave him alone! He has nothing to do with this! Do what you have to do with me but don't harm him!"

"Too late, elf. You should have thought about his fate before you killed one of my men. Now you both will pay," Azmir said. Then he announced, "Ten lashes for the elf, twenty for the boy!"

The men roared in approval. Legolas yelled in protest but they ignored him.

"Let me, father." Garret took the whip from Azmir. The clan leader smiled proudly at the young man. "Do your best, son."

Legolas tensed as Garret took a stand behind him. His eyes looked sadly at the cowering boy on the ground, who stared back at him for help.

_I'm sorry, kid. So sorry. Legolas cursed himself inside out for dragging the boy into this predicament. _I'm sorry.__

Then the first lash landed onto his back with stunning impact, cutting off his thoughts abruptly.

************************

"No!!!!" Growling deep in his throat, Keldarion rose up to charge down the hill. 

Elladan managed to grab the back of his friend's tunic, pulling him back into their hiding spot. "Kel, no!"

"Let me go! They're hurting him!" The prince struggled against Elladan's grip on him. "I must stop them!"  
                "We know that!" Elrohir said, holding on to Keldarion's arms. "But you're only going to get yourself killed! We're no match for all of them!"

"I can't let them hurt him…" Keldarion slumped in his friend's arms. He cringed when his keen ears caught the occasional grunts of pain from Legolas as the whip landed onto his back repeatedly. His brother jerked forward from every blow, keeping his eyes tightly shut as he bore down the agony stoically.

"Legolas can bear it, Kel. He's strong. And we need a plan. We can't just go and charge through in there. It won't be any good to your brother if we all end up dead," Elladan voiced out, clenching his fists to control his own anger to see his friend being hurt.

Keldarion gripped his bow and was about to raise it to make a shot at the man holding the whip when the whipping suddenly stopped. The man then moved on toward the boy on the ground.

**********************

Hamil's eyes widened and he cried even harder when Garret approached him. Whimpering slightly from the biting pain on his back, Legolas could only watch through his bleary eyes. He wanted desperately to come to the boy's aid, but strung up like this he was completely unable to help.

The boy screamed when the first lash landed onto him, then another, and another. Legolas closed his eyes, not having the heart to look at the intense pain and terror on the boy's face. _Hang on, kid. I'll heal you back to health and take away your pain. Just hang on. Hamil's horrible screams kept hitting his eardrums, making him bleed inside. __Stop it. Valar, stop it!_

"Stop it!!!" Legolas yelled, pulling at the irons on his wrists. "Just bloody stop it!!"

Garret halted and grinned at the elf. "He'd only received eleven lashes. There are nine more to go."

"Give the rest to me! Leave him alone!"

"What? Ten is not enough for you?" Garret turned to Azmir. "What say you, father?"

The clan leader laughed. "Give him what he wants!"

The young man moved back behind Legolas and began to raise the whip again…

***********************

Keldarion's knuckles were white as he gripped his bow. Valar! How he wanted so badly to shoot at the man swinging the whip! But that would only disclose their location to the men below. They needed the element of surprise to get Legolas out of there.

_Hang on, brother. I'll come for you._

*************************

Legolas was quite surprised when Garret finally stopped. He thought it would go on forever. Looking down, he saw that Hamil was already unconscious, his back a bloody mess. The elf knew that his own back would look exactly just like that, perhaps even worse.

Azmir came into his vision, smiling slightly. "Remember, elf. You're my slave. I will not accept disobedience from you, or you'll taste the pleasure from the bite of this whip again. You're going to spend the rest of the night here. You'll get back to work in the morning." 

Legolas only glared, having no strength to reply. Chuckling, Azmir turned to his men. "Leave them! Get some rest, people! We have a big 'game' tomorrow!"

The Norsemen roared in approval and began to disperse towards their respective sleeping places, talking excitedly among themselves about the next village they were going to plunder tomorrow…leaving the elf still hanging by the pole and the boy lying unconscious on the ground.

"Hamil?" Legolas called out softly but the boy did not respond. The elf sighed heavily, feeling deep regret for his failure to control his temper. Now the innocent boy had also paid for his thoughtlessness.

The night grew silent as the men left the area, leaving them both alone. Only the occasional sounds of crickets and the low voices of the guards on duty could be heard.

Legolas looked up suddenly when he caught a familiar presence. It was close yet so far away. "Kel?" 

Hamil suddenly groaned in pain, but did not wake up. As his arms burned from being stretched too long above his head, Legolas felt like crying. _Kel, help me. Get me out of here._

**********************

From afar, Keldarion stared at Legolas's dejected face, willing his presence to be known to his brother, hoping that it will reassure him somewhat.

_I will get you out of there, brother. I swear I will._

TBC… 


	9. 9

**To everyone who is going for a trip for the summer holiday, HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!!!!!**

**Those who stay, here's some more…**

It was two hours after midnight when Keldarion and the twins finally moved into action. They crawled out of their hiding space and crouched towards the heart of the base, which was 200 yards away. Everything was silent. The night guards had their eyes elsewhere, totally unaware to the elves' approaches.

Keldarion saw that Legolas had gone completely still. He might be either asleep or unconscious. The elder prince had a hard time to restrain himself from running towards his brother then and there.

The elves had reached the edge of the clearing, keeping themselves under the shadow. As Keldarion moved on forward, the twins stayed back and took aim with their bow at the four guards on duty. The first two strikes took the men by surprise, stunning their other standing comrades. Before the other two managed to cry out a warning, two more arrows struck home. The guards were dead in just several seconds.

By that time, Keldarion had already reached the clearing, near to the campfire. But luck was not on his side that night. As he was moving pass the front of a wooden building, the door suddenly flew open. A man came out, yawning widely…then grew stilled when his eyes landed on the crouching form. 

Keldarion had immediately spun on his heel, took aim with his bow and let go. It hit the man deep in his 

throat. The prince knew that the man was the one who had whipped Legolas and the boy several hours ago. Without a backward glance, Keldarion turned back around towards his brother…and that was his biggest mistake.

The fallen man was not dead…yet. With trembling hands, Garret pulled out a small crossbow from his boot and fired a shot. Keldarion jerked as the small arrow slammed into his back and penetrated deep between his shoulder blades. He stumbled to his knees, gasping in pain. He whipped his head and stared back at the man who was now lying on the ground.

Garret's eyes were opened and unseeing, the crossbow still lay in his lax fingers as blood poured out from his throat. He was dead.

Then, all hell broke loose.

***********************

Azmir had stirred awake when Garret walked on heavy steps by his room just now. He suddenly decided that he also needed to take a leek, and followed after his son. He then let out a wild yell when he saw Garret slumped lifelessly in the doorway. As he knelt down beside his son's dead body, Azmir looked around in panic and saw the tall hooded stranger staring back at him; the stranger's blazing blue eyes shone bright with contained pain and fury.

"Intruder!" the man screamed. "Intruder!! Wake up, all of you! We have an intruder!!!"

Gathering his son's limp form into his arms, Azmir screamed again, "Intruder!!!"

***********************

Keldarion cursed himself for that lack of caution on his part. He was too eager to get to his brother that he didn't make sure that the young man was completely dead before turning his back on him. Now he had received a serious wound for his carelessness. _Fool! Idiot! Of all the stupidest thing! And the screaming bastard had alerted the others!! _

Men began to pour out of the wooden shacks, grumbling and growling and brandishing their weapons. For once, Keldarion's mind was completely blank, undecided on what to do next. From the way he saw Legolas move his head he knew that his brother had awakened. Then Legolas's silver eyes caught his cobalt blue ones, and held.

Legolas frowned in confusion when he saw Keldarion kneeling in the dirt several feet away from him, but then his eyes widened when he understood his brother's grim situation. "Run!" he yelled. "Move it, Kel! Get out of here!"

Keldarion slowly shook his head, oblivious to the approaching Norsemen around him. They were coming closer, swinging their blades…but none of the deadly weapon connected with his body. The twins were shooting at the men like mad, forcing the men to scatter and take cover. The Mirkwood crown prince was startled when someone grabbed his arm.

"Come along, Kel!!" Elladan was yelling in his ear, while Elrohir never stopped shooting at the men. 

Keldarion shook his head again. "No! Not without Legolas!"

"We can't get to him! They have already surrounded him!" True to Elrohir's words, the Norsemen had unhooked Legolas's chain from the pole and began to drag him back inside. The twins meanwhile were hastily pulling their friend away from the site now that their rescue mission had failed. 

Keldarion kept his agonizing gaze on his brother's face until he could see him no more. The last things he heard from Legolas were his cries, "Run, Kel! RUN!!!"

As soon as they got to the rise of the small hill, with the men mad at their heels, the elves called out for their mounts. They quickly climbed up and sped away as fast as the elven horses could take them. Several leagues away, assured that the men had lost them, Keldarion stumbled down from his mount and went on all fours on the ground, whimpering, "No…no…"

The twins also dismounted. They knelt down beside their friend, putting comforting hand on Keldarion's shoulders. "Kel?"

"I've failed. I've failed…" 

"No! _We have failed! You're not alone in all this, Kel. He's like our brother too," Elladan said, tightening his hold on the prince's shoulder. "But we cannot give up! For some reason, they're keeping him alive. And he will __stay alive when we return for him."_

"What are we to do now?" Keldarion looked up, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

"We have no other choice but to head back to Mirkwood…and seek help from your warriors," said Elrohir.

Keldarion winced. "Seek help from my father, you mean." He shook his head. "Do you guys want to die?"

The twins also grimaced involuntarily. "I know it's not going to be pretty when we tell your father about this…err…problem, Kel, but it is the only choice we have right now," Elladan said. He could already hear Thranduil screaming at them for their latest escapade.

"And you're wounded. Quite badly, I would say. It needs to be treated," Elrohir pointed out, gently touching the small arrow still embedded in his friend's back.

Keldarion nodded. The pain was not too great. It was just a small arrow anyway, but will definitely be a bother in his next attempt to rescue his brother. "To Mirkwood, then."

**************************

Legolas was forced to kneel down in front of Azmir as the man vented his anger and sorrow by smacking the side of the elf's head repeatedly, then he would start crying and screaming over his son's body, before returning to Legolas and hitting him again. 

The elf prince went through it all in silence. He just didn't care about the humans anymore because deep inside he was praying hard for Keldarion's and the twins' safe flight. Legolas also hoped that his brother's wound was not so grave. 

Most importantly, he hoped that they were going to come back for him with more help. He couldn't wait to escape these men and their cruelties. Look what they did to their own kind! The boy, Hamil, lay in a heap on the floor in a corner, lost to the world with his back still bleeding. Legolas's own back was in no better condition. _Ai Elbereth! How it still hurt! _

Azmir stalked closer towards the elf, glaring at the mystically beautiful face, still looking so defiant and regal even after all that had happened. "I don't know who those intruders were, elf! I suspect they are your friends but I don't care!!" the man yelled, his eyes red and bulging with uncontrolled emotions. "What I want you to do right now is heal my son! Bring him back to life, do you hear me?!!"

This time, Legolas's mouth dropped open. "What? I…I can't do that."

Azmir reached down and grabbed a fistful of Legolas's hair, jerking his head up. "You will! I'll make sure you do it!"

"You don't understand! It's not that I don't want to, but I simply can't! I'm a healer, not god!!"

Azmir slapped the elf hard as his anger boiled over like molten lava. "To hell with that! You _will heal him!! Bring him back! I want my son back!!!"_

Legolas began to panic. The man was getting mad and would not listen to reason. _Ai! _This is too much!_ "I can't…It's impossible."_

"Just do it!!" Azmir pushed the elf towards his son's body lying on the bed. 

On all fours on the floor, Legolas turned to look back at the man in disbelief and horror. "I cannot bring your dead son back to life, human! Not in a million years!"

The clan leader went ballistic. He bent down beside Hamil and pulled the unconscious boy upright. "Then I'll break his neck!!! See if I don't!!"

Legolas swallowed. _Why is this happening? What should I do? Ai Elbereth! Why is this happening to me?_

Knowing that he had no other choice, Legolas straightened up and put his palms over the gaping hole on Garret's throat. It was so ironic to know that he was about to heal the fatal wound inflicted by his own brother's arrow. 

But it was also a terrible thing to know that he was going to put his own life and inner spirit in jeopardy, because once they were taken too far away from him in the futile healing effort, Legolas didn't know if he would get them back.

TBC… 

**Err…cliffie? You tell me!**


	10. 10

**Keep on reading everyone. This is the 2nd last chapter. Tomorrow will be the end…**

Thranduil stared at the young elves standing in front of him in pure disbelief. Their eyes were downcast, their fists clenched, and all three of them looked paler than he had ever seen them. "Legolas is kidnapped?"

Keldarion looked up then, staring straight into the king's eyes. "Yes, father. He was taken from us while we were asleep in the woods."

At this, Thranduil looked quite skeptical. "Asleep? Weren't any of you aware when it happened?"

The twins exchanged uneasy glances, while Keldarion's eyes did not waver. "No, father. We were heavily intoxicated."

The king's eyes widened. "You were drunk?"

"Not actually drunk, my lord," Elrohir hastily said when he saw the slight throb of Thranduil's vein on his neck. "Our drinks had been poisoned with sleeping powder. So we slept like the dead and…well, you know."

"No, I don't know," Thranduil said. "You have been missing for two days with only a small message that did not tell me where you were, now you return saying Legolas was kidnapped while you were sleeping. Pray tell, where in Middle Earth have you been?"

Before Keldarion could speak, Elladan told the king the whole story, fast and precise. All the while, Thranduil kept his gaze on his elder son's face, seeing the guilt and agony there. When Elladan finished, the king asked, "How many are they?"

"Around two hundred at least," Keldarion said. "We do not know why they took Legolas, but they've already hurt him. They flogged him last night."

Thranduil closed his eyes in anguish. _Oh, Legolas._ _No wonder Keldarion looked so miserable. He'd witnessed his brother in pain. Opening back his eyes, the king said to his commander who was also there in the receiving hall, "Linden, you know what to do."_

The seasoned warrior nodded and left without a word. Keldarion and the twins started to follow him but the king called out, "Kel."

The crown prince stopped in his tracks. After a small signal to tell the twins to move on, he turned to face the king. "I'm sorry, father. I take full responsibility for all this," Keldarion said softly.

Thranduil came closer. "No one is blaming you, Kel."

"But I let him make us all go to the tavern. I should have been more firm."

"How firm could you actually be? Knock him on the head?" Thranduil clasped his son's shoulder. "Kel, you know how irritatingly stubborn your brother can be. And he never gives up to get what he wants. I bet he told you that he would still go to the tavern alone if you had refused to go with him?"

Keldarion smiled slightly. "You are very correct, father. He said exactly that."

Shaking his head, Thranduil continued, "I'm going to kick some sense into that boy's head. He's got _everyone dancing to his tune. It's time he stopped being a spoiled baby."_

"But we are not spoiling him! We just…well, love him a little bit too much, that's all."

"I know what you mean, Kel. He's the youngest child, and a _manyan_ to boot. No wonder we dote on him greatly. Still, Legolas is also wise and thoughtful. I'm sure he won't expect everyone to follow his every demand from now on."

Keldarion's face fell. "When we failed to rescue him, he'd demanded me to run. And I did, just as he told me to. Father, I turned tail and ran and left my brother behind with those men!"

Thranduil put a palm on his son's pale cheek, staring at the lovely eyes now glassy with unshed tears of regret. "That's because he loves you, and doesn't want any more harm to fall onto you because of him. Kel, I know the wound in your back is giving you pain."

"It's nothing."

"No, it's not nothing. I know I cannot stop you from joining the rescue mission, but I want you to treat that injury first. I mean it, Kel. That's an order."

Keldarion sighed and relented. Thranduil himself looked over the task of cleaning and bandaging the wound. The small arrow had already been taken out with the twins' help just before they resumed the ride to Mirkwood a few hours ago. They had reached the palace right after the sun rose.

A while later, still in the late morning, the whole battalion of Mirkwood warriors on horseback led by Commander Linden and the crown prince proceeded to charge towards the Norsemen base. They moved at fast pace, determined and vowing to get back what's theirs.

**********************

Legolas's head was spinning crazily from sheer exhaustion and agony after several hours of bending over Garret's dead body. A chilling dread began to overwhelm him and bite his soul, bit by bit. With his palms still placed over the man's wound, he was forcing himself to do the unthinkable; trying to heal a dead man back to life. Truthfully, it was never a healing process.

Legolas was actually killing himself.

Azmir and his some of his men were still in the room with him, watching the elf with unwavering eyes. The clan leader looked like a man possessed, cursing and weeping, ranting at Legolas to speed up his effort. Once in a while, the man would put a strangling hold on Hamil's neck, intending to break the boy's vulnerable bone at any time Legolas decided to retaliate.

Retaliation was the farthest in Legolas's mind, however. He was totally consumed by the straining effort, his eyes tightly shut in concentration. He knew he was bound to fail in this. But he was too desperate to make it work so that Azmir would not kill the poor slave boy…even though he was condemning his own life.

His whole body began to shiver as the icy death of the mortal enveloped him like a heavy wet blanket. It was hard for him to breath now, and his energy was seeping away from him in such terrifying pace. Legolas never told his brother or his father that most often than not, the _manyan_ prince could feel the pain from the wounds he was healing. But in this case, he felt death.

When the whole burden was too much for him to bear, Legolas pulled back and flung himself away with a cry. He fell down to his side near the bed, gasping for breath and trembling like a leaf. His hands could not stop shaking, while tears seeped through his closed eyelids.

Azmir's eyes bulged in disbelief. Dropping the boy, the man advanced towards Legolas and glared down at the elf. "Why do you stop?! He has not awakened! Get back to it!!"

Legolas shook his head feebly. "I…I…c…can't…no more…" When the man yanked on his hair and dragged his weakening body over Garret's lifeless form, the prince had no strength left to even cry out in protest.

"You will heal him!!" Azmir screamed. "I don't care! I want my son back, do you hear me?!!"

Legolas was beyond hearing, though. He was already unconscious.

Azmir instantly went berserk. He threw the elf to the floor and kicked him in the side repeatedly. "What good are you to me if you can't even make him come back, huh?!!! You're useless!!!" The man grabbed his sword and unsheathed it. "So you shall die!"

But before Azmir could lift his blade, there was a loud chaos coming from outside the room. Simultaneously, he heard the shouting, "Attack!! We're being attacked!!!"

The men in the room immediately began to scatter for their weapons. Azmir cursed, loud and long. "What the _hell_ is going on?!!"

 "They have come! The elves have come!!!" came the panic reply.

TBC… 

Yes, I know Thranduil was not very angry when he first heard about their escapade. Don't worry. He had something in store for them when the youngsters return! So, stay tune tomorrow for the last chapter!


	11. 11

If the board said there are twelve chapters, don't believe it! It has gone crazy again! LOL!!!!

@Alkvingiel ; I'm processing the story about Eldarion. It will appear maybe in the post LOTR, about five more fics to go? I think.

Now, the last chappie for this fic!!! Enjoy!

*********************

Keldarion swung his sword with utmost skillful precision, striking down every Norsemen who dared to be in his way. His objective was one of the buildings where he knew the men had dragged his brother into several hours ago. The Rivendell twins were right by his side, adding their strength to the fray even when the Norsemen were totally outnumbered against the mighty battalion of Mirkwood elves. 

Commander Linden was in charge, but he let the crown prince have his own way because he knew how badly Keldarion wanted to rescue his own brother. The prince's face was now a stony handsome façade, filled with determination and anger. His raven hair swirled as he turned and parried gracefully, while his beautifully crafted blade shone brilliantly in the afternoon sun from every powerful swing. 

His eyes drew to a slit when he saw the human leader came rushing out through the door. Azmir also stared. _This was the tall stranger who killed my son!! Crying out in rage, the man raised his sword and swung it at Keldarion's throat. The prince simply sidestepped and knocked the man down by hitting the back of Azmir's head with the hilt of his sword. The man tried to get up but the twins were already onto him._

"Tie him up!" Keldarion ordered. "I want him alive." With that, the prince spun on his heels to resume to the door. After sending another Norsemen to his maker, Keldarion went inside and started searching for his brother. 

"Legolas? Legolas?!" He looked into all the three rooms and found his brother in the last room he checked. When Keldarion saw his brother lying so still on the floor, the first thought that came to his mind was that Legolas was already dead. "No! Legolas!!"

As he pulled his brother into his arms, Keldarion was greatly relieved to find that Legolas still breathed, but he looked so pale. As pale as…death. "Legolas?"

"How is he?" Elladan asked quietly. After he and Elrohir had finished tying up Azmir and put him under Linden's custody, they had followed their friend into the shack.

Keldarion shook his head worriedly. "I don't know. He's not responding." He glared at the chains around Legolas's wrists and ankles. "They've kept him like one would keep a wild animal! They _are_ animals!!!"

Elrohir also knelt down beside the two princes. He touched Legolas's forehead and jumped in surprise. "Ai! He's cold to the touch! What else have they done to him?"

"He…he tried to…bring the dead man…back to life…" came a weak voice from the corner of the room. It was the boy Hamil, and Elladan was tending to him.

Their eyes widened in shock. "What?!!" Keldarion exclaimed. "What are you saying, boy?"

Hamil was sitting up with Elladan's help, grimacing in pain. "I heard them force him…to heal my master's son, to make him alive again…so that they wouldn't kill me…And he did…for many hours, but Garret still lay dead…"

Keldarion stared open mouthed at the boy. "Are you telling me that _that _man outside was your master and he had used _my brother to bring back his dead son?!!"_

The boy cringed when he saw the great wrath on the prince's face. "Y…yes, my lord. But not only that. Your…your brother had to heal all the wounded men all day yesterday."

The elves blanched in horror.  _Valar! This is unspeakable! How terrible for Legolas! How they have used him so!_

Keldarion hugged his brother tighter and gazed down at his brother's serene face.  _What's terribly ailing Legolas now? Had he succumbed too far?_

Legolas suddenly stirred and fluttered his eyes open. "Kel…"

"Yes, brother. I've come." Keldarion forced a smile. "Are you crazy, little one? What is this I hear about you healing a dead body?"

"Kel, I'm dying…" Legolas said weakly, not really hearing his brother's slight tease. The twins looked at each other worriedly. Legolas truly looked like he was at death door right now.

"No! You are not going to die!" Keldarion yelled vehemently. "Whatever makes you think that way? We'll take you home and we'll pamper you and you'll get better again!"

Legolas smiled weakly. "I'd love that…to have you all pamper me. But I don't have much time. The mortal's death…is already within me…"

There was silence for a full moment, then the three elves shouted, "What?!"

"How is that possible?" Elladan was looking at Legolas from head to toe, as if looking for the sign of death that Legolas had told them.

"I…I've given him too much…and absorbed everything in the process…including this dark forces of mortality. It's eating me alive…pulling me along with him, with the dead…I need to find another breathing life form…to channel it all out."

"Then give it to me," Keldarion said without any hesitation, putting his hand in Legolas's.

"No." Legolas said weakly, pulling his hand away. "It would…kill you…" 

Keldarion's eyes narrowed briefly before he positioned Legolas firmly in his arms and stood up, then went rushing outside. With Elladan carrying the boy, the twins also followed.

Linden looked up as Keldarion approached. "Your highness, how's Prince Legolas?"

"Not good, Linden," Keldarion shortly replied.

Azmir, who was kneeling on the ground with his arms tightly bound behind his back, was immediately startled. _Your highness? Prince? I've captured an elf prince?_ _Damn it! If I had known, I should have asked for bountiful of ransom instead!_ He raised his head and could not miss seeing the blazing fury on the face of the raven-haired elf prince. _Or maybe not._

In spite of his angry manner, Keldarion was extremely gentle when he lowered his brother to sit on the ground beside the captured Norsemen leader. "Here you are, Legolas. The other breathing life form that you need."

Cradled supportively in his brother's arms, Legolas stared deeply at Azmir. Then he slowly raised his right palm and placed it on Azmir's forehead. The man flinched at the touch, his eyes wide. "What are you doing?"

"You want your son, human? I'll give you back your son," Legolas said softly.

At first, Azmir could only feel the heavy coldness emanating from Legolas's fingertips before it spread all over his body. Then he could feel the horrible darkness that pulled him deeper into unknown places. Azmir began to spasm violently, his eyes bulging, but Legolas still did not pull away. He needed to get it all out_. A little bit more. Just a little bit more… _

Legolas was actually brightly glowing in his strenuous effort and everyone couldn't help but stare in amazement, especially the other captured Norsemen._ Every one of them was looking at this spectacle with terror and wonder on their face. Even the elves had never seen anything quite like it before. They had known Legolas as a powerful healer. To know that he could also create great pain at his mere touch was incredible to swallow._

A terrible scream burst from Azmir's throat. As if hit by lightning, his body suddenly snapped and flung backwards to land several feet away, unmoving. Dead.

Legolas's arm fell limply to his side. He closed his eyes, his body completely drained of all energy. _It's all over… _

Keldarion and the twins looked down worriedly at him. "He…he's not dead, right? He has gotten it all out of him, hasn't he?" Elrohir was asking.

Keldarion nodded. "I think so. He's asleep."

"Let's take him home, your highness," Linden suggested quietly, pulling off his cloak and draping it over the sleeping prince who was clad only in his leggings. 

"Yes. Let's go home," Keldarion answered, but hesitated as his eyes fell on the chains that still bound his brother.

"Here. I've found the key." Elrohir returned from inspecting Azmir's body. "I found it in his coat pocket."

The sun was about to set when they finally reached the Mirkwood palace several hours later.

**************************

Lord Thranduil quietly entered Legolas's chamber and found both his sons deeply asleep. Legolas lay curled on his side on the big bed, covered by layers of quilts up to his shoulders. Keldarion was resting on a huge sofa that he'd pulled along side the bed, his elegant fingers wrapped around one of Legolas's limp hands.

Ever since they had brought Legolas home yesterday, Keldarion never left his brother's side. He had stayed awake in the room overnight, too afraid that Legolas would fade away from him in his absence. The welts on his back and his other bruises had been fully tended to and were healing nicely. Still, Legolas never regained consciousness.

The elder prince stirred awake then. "Oh, hello father." He straightened and blinked, before bending over his brother. "He's still not awakened."

The king smiled softly. "Don't worry, Kel. He needs the rest."

"Yes, I know. But shouldn't he be awake by now?" Keldarion checked Legolas's pulse and breathing. It's normal, but his skin was still cold to the touch.

Thranduil sat on the bed and gazed at his two children, feeling such pride and love for them both that his heart felt it could burst. _Look how wonderful they are! So beautiful, both of them. And they are mine. Aye, I've raised them well. I wish you were here to see them now, Marwana my love._

"That was terrible, what those men did to him," Keldarion spoke suddenly, a tinge of anger still evident in his voice. "They have used him, thoroughly manipulated him of his powers, nearly killing him. Father, you should have seen how he channeled the death out of his being! It was incredible! I didn't know he could do that."

"A _manyan is full of mystical secrets, my son. I've seen them in your mother many times before," Thranduil replied, stroking the golden tresses of his youngest son. "Always expect the unexpected."_

"Legolas is full of surprises, a _manyan_ or not!" Keldarion laughed, then he sobered. "And I've failed to protect him like I've sworn to."

Thranduil shook his head. "Stop blaming yourself so. You can't protect him all the time," he said. Keldarion looked up when he felt his father's comforting hand on his shoulder. The king continued, "Not with a bullheaded person like Legolas, you can't. He's bound to crash into trouble now and again, as stubborn as he is."

The door suddenly opened and the Rivendell brothers walked in. "Has he awakened?" Elladan asked quietly.

"Not yet," answered Keldarion.

"Actually, I have," came Legolas's voice. 

The others instantly turned to him, and heaved a sigh of relief to see his eyes bright and lucid. "Well, about time!" Keldarion exclaimed, giving his brother a quick hug. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry about that," Legolas said, his voice still unsteady. "I was quite afraid to wake up, truthfully."

"And why is that?" Thranduil asked. He clasped his youngest son's hand, and frowned at its coldness.

Legolas smiled weakly. "Well, for the past few days, every time I woke up, something bad happened; either I woke up drenching wet, or found myself in a strange place bound in chains…or waking up to feel roaming hands all over me…"

"They did what?!" the other elves shouted in horror, imagining all kinds of other dreadful things that the men had done to Legolas. 

"Easy, everyone. I believe that stupid one-eyed man regretted doing so. He no longer lives. I had smashed his eye to bits." Legolas then told them that it was the reason for his whipping, causing the other elves to curse. Legolas grimaced when he continued, "The one-eyed man thought I was a girl."

Keldarion and the twins broke into laughter. "See?" Elrohir said gleefully. "I was right after all! You look like a maiden!"

"Yeah, and what was the word you used, Ell? _Embarrassingly beautiful_?" Keldarion added, and they roared with mirth all over again. Thranduil's lips were twitching in amusement, while Legolas glared at his brother and their friends. "Ha. Ha. Ha. You guys are a bunch of comedians!"

Trying hard to control his bubbling laughter, Thranduil asked, "How are you feeling, really?"

Legolas shrugged. "Very tired…and a little weak, but I'll be fine. Give me a few days to recuperate, then I'll be like new again."

"That's good to hear," Thranduil said, and narrowed his eyes. "Is that true? You had sneaked out for a beer?"

Legolas's smile instantly fell flat. _Blimey! I'm in trouble!_ "Err…yes, father."

"You should be grounded for that!" Thranduil's voice rose, and the other three elves began to get nervous. 

The younger prince lowered his eyes. "It was just a beer…well, two glasses of beer actually."

"_Two?" The king's eyes bulged._

"All right, all right! Three glasses! What's so wrong with that?"

"I bet you still remember the hangover, right Legolas?" Keldarion couldn't help but point out. The elder prince instantly stopped smiling when their father turned to glower at him. 

"And you," Thranduil said, pointing at Keldarion and the twins. "The three of you are responsible for introducing that blasted drink to him!"

"Us?!!" they exclaimed in shock.

"Yes. I don't have any choice but to punish you!"

"Aw, come on, father! Legolas forced us into this whole thing!" Keldarion protested.

"No, I did not! You all followed me at your own free will!"

"Legolas, you used blackmail!!"

"What, for saying 'I'll go alone if you refuse to come with me'? That's not blackmail. It's what I call strategic persuasion."

"Strategic, my ass!!"

"Children!!" Thranduil roared. The youngsters jumped in surprise and blinked at the king uncertainly. Thranduil had his arms crossed over his chest as he stood up tall to look down at them, his face impassive. "For introducing this innocent mind to the terrible effects of hard drinks, …"

Elladan snorted, "_Innocent?" _

Thranduil glared at the younger elf before he continued, "I sentence the three of you to…" At this, Thranduil broke into a huge grin. "…a full day work in the grand kitchen!"

"What?!!! No…." the youngsters moaned in distress.

"Ai! Father, this is too much!" Keldarion whined. 

"Why us? What about him?" Elrohir pointed at Legolas who was laughing like crazy.

"He is recuperating so he is excused. After all, he had experienced the worst," the king replied and started for the door. "You begin work today. How I long to sample you boys' cooking!" With that, he walked out of the room, smiling happily.

Keldarion and the twins turned at the still laughing Legolas, glaring at him. They began to advance on him menacingly. Suddenly, the king reappeared in the doorway, "Oh, I forgot to tell you one other thing. Do not throw him into the garden pond, got that? Or you'll answer to me." Then he disappeared once more.

Legolas stopped laughing when the others kept coming for him. "Err…guys? What are you doing?"

"He said not to throw you into the garden pond," Elladan spoke.

"That's correct. But he said nothing about the backyard stream," Keldarion was smiling evilly.

"No! Wait! Aaaa!!!! Put me down this instant!!" Legolas yelled when they grabbed his arms and legs and carried him out of the room.

A while later, from his position at the balcony, Thranduil could hear his youngest son screaming, "Father! Help me!!!!!!!!!" Then he saw the boys flashed through the garden towards the stream behind the palace.

Linden beside him chuckled. "Well, that was interesting. Are you going to help him, my lord?"

Thranduil laughed. "Nope."

The two of them stood there laughing as their ears finally caught the sound of a big splash, followed by Legolas's wild shriek and the others' loud laughter. 

Everything in Mirkwood was now back to order…before the boys would scramble it all out of proportion again. 

But that was another story…

**THE END**

**A prequel finished already! Hope you enjoy that one, and thank you so much for suggesting it to me! And thanks a lot for reading and reviewing it! You all keep me alive!**

**To Meagan, my beta, you're so wonderful! Such nice help you've given for me. THANK YOU!!! **

As tradition, here are the faithful reviewers in alphabetical order; - amb_009; Ailsa; Alexy; Alkvingiel/Kuramaswildfire; Android Jennifer; angelbird1224; Aurienia; Cat; caz-baz; Cestari; DiamondD; Elven-Spirit; Enigma Jade; Erhothwen; Fairylady; Faith; Fantasia; feanen; fiery-eyed-elf; Gemini72; goblz; Goma Ryu Immortal Vampire; helms-deep2234; jambaby1963; Katherine; Kayo; Kristy South; Lady Lenna; Legawien; LegolasLOver2003; Lirenel; Lizzle; LOTRFaith; lucy; Menthol; MoonBolt; MoroTheWolfGod; nAdzReen; PokethePenguin; purplesmackers; randomramblings; Sailor Elf; ShawnaC; Stephanie Lou; szhismine; Tapetum Lucidum; tbiris; The Fire-Breathing Ferret; ThE iNsAnE oNe; Tinnuial; White Wolf; x01Legolas10x; ZeldaDragon; Zerah Star; Zoya.  Thank you, everyone. You are GREAT!!!!!!!! 

My next fic would be LOTR (like I've promised before), and the title would be Trust. (See? Another T!)

**Until next time, guys! See you soon! I'LL BE BACK!!!!!!!**


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